Black and White
by InweTiwele
Summary: He's terrifying...he really is. But, why is he suddenly so nice to me? He's NEVER nice to anyone. All he ever does is glare at me...but I wish I could see him smile just once. That would make me so happy. SasuHina NaruSaku
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I finally have gotten all of my stories off my old computer. So, I decided to go back and edit all of them. There are some things in each of my stories that I didn't put in there, and, in retrospect, I should have. Here is the edited first chapter of Black and White. I'll be going in alphabetical order.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Obviously.

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Chapter 1:

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"_One word can warm three winter months."_

_-Japanese proverb_

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It was winter in the Fire Country and the Village Hidden in the Leaves was covered in soft white snow which was rare. Usually the country was very hot, the climate growing mild during the winter, but this year the weather decided to change. The snow made the shinobi stronghold seemed like a quaint, civilian village. Konohagakure was far from a quaint little village in the middle of nowhere.

The village was active year round with various missions; many times to the neighboring countries. It was filled with various shinobi families and clans. It was also the home of one blond loud mouthed shinobi known as Uzumaki Naruto.

Hyuuga Hinata sighed as she regarded her village with fondness. It was home, and the snow made it look so picturesque. Deep in her imagination, Hinata pondered what would happen this winter. Maybe she would chalk up her courage and finally confess her love for Naruto.

She loved Naruto dearly, but he never really noticed her. This knowledge stung Hinata's heart to the quick. Naruto wasn't aware that she had _always _been cheering him on from the sidelines. The girl couldn't help but feel a stab of jealousy whenever she thought about Sakura and Naruto; or even talked to Sakura.

Naruto only paid attention to Sakura, always asking her out on dates. Well, she was just the little mouse hanging around the fringes of his eyesight. Even though it stung she was content to watch him from afar. She had been happy with this prospect for several years now.

They were seventeen years old now and Sasuke had finally come back after much forceful convincing on the part of Naruto. When he had returned with his rival, Hinata had felt her face burn from his bright smile. He had looked so happy walking through the gates of Konoha with his friend's arm slung over his shoulder as he helped him walk.

Now he was currently enjoying some quality time with his rival in the hospital. They had gotten into a fight about something trivial…_again_. It had ended with both of them giving the other critical injuries. And now she found herself walking into the Yamanaka's flower shop to buy some flowers for Naruto. Something about them had a way of brightening those sterile rooms.

Hesitantly Hinata entered and looked around at the winter plants. Ino was sitting behind the counter with a magazine in front of her. She looked extremely _bored._

"H-hello, Yamanaka-san," Hinata greeted softly. She always felt uncomfortable in front of Ino. She always felt like the blond was planning something that involved her.

"Hinata-chan! Are you looking for some flowers to bring to Naruto-kun?" Ino asked standing up to help the Hyuuga find something suitable for her infatuation.

"Y-yes, h-how did y-you know?" asked Hinata, pink tinting her ivory cheeks.

"Please. Hinata-chan, it's been obvious that you've been head over heels in love with that twit ever since we were genin," Ino replied, laughing at her mortified expression.

Hinata's horrified face turned into a sheepish smile. The two women looked around the shop, Ino telling her the names and meaning of the flowers. With her assistance, Hinata found the perfect flowers. "Hinata-chan, would you mind bringing these to Sasuke-san?"

Ino brought over a simple, yet beautiful, arrangement.

"D-do you still l-like him, Yamanaka-san?" asked Hinata.

Ino laughed again. "No, Hinata-chan. I realized that I liked him for all of the wrong reasons. These are just a 'get well soon' gift for him from a friend."

"Al-all right, I'll t-take t-them to h-him, Yamanaka-san," Hinata replied giving her a tiny smile.

She paid for the flowers for Naruto, and scurried out of the shop as quickly as she could without seeming rude. Hinata trudged through the snow and reached the hospital, her pale cheeks flushed from the cold. Hinata struggled to open the door with the two bouquets in her arms. Hinata had to admit, Ino had good taste. She had chosen stunning flowers for her arrangement. They were irises that grew in the snow and were a deep shade of purple.

Sakura saw Hinata walk in and knew immediately who was receiving one of the bouquets, but the other was a mystery. Neither Shino nor Kiba were currently in the hospital.

"Hello, Hinata-chan," Sakura greeted her with a cheerful expression.

"Oh, k-konichiwa, Haruno-san," Hinata replied feeling the normal pang of jealousy.

Sakura continued to smile. "You're here to see Naruto-kun, aren't you?"

Hinata nodded timidly. "I'll show you to his room; I was just on my way too. By the way, who is the lucky receiver of those irises?"

"U-Uchiha-san."

Sakura stopped walking, staring at Hinata with a shocked expression. She didn't notice her mouth hanging open. _Sasuke? _The _Uchiha_ Sasuke?

Hinata stared back at her, favoring her bottom lip. Sakura's continued staring was making her uncomfortable.

Her pale skin was a little flushed from the cold and her indigo blue hair was windswept from the chill wind outside. The Hyuuga was beautiful, very beautiful, in fact, with her lavender-white eyes. Sakura hated to admit it, but she was a little jealous of the Hyuuga heiress.

"Um…Ha-haruno-san?"

Sakura shut her mouth, and smiled again. "Oh…right…let's go!"

Hinata followed the pink haired kunoichi down the gruesome white hallway. Shouting could be heard from the room at the end of the corridor. Sakura looked irritated about something and Hinata hoped that they weren't fighting again. The medic opened the door with a loud bang just in time to see Naruto lunging at Sasuke. Her face darkened.

"TEME!"

"STOP IT BOTH OF YOU!" screamed Sakura causing Naruto to freeze at the sound of voice. The jinchuuriki then lost his balance and fell onto the floor.

"Itai..." he moaned in pain. Sasuke rolled his eyes and Naruto shot him another dark look. Sakura helped him back onto his bed. Hinata bit her lip and looked down, embarrassed. "You two are horrible. Stop fighting, you have a visitor."

The two boys looked over to the door and saw Hyuuga Hinata standing there looking sheepishly at the floor. She bowed to them.

"G-good afternoon," she mumbled.

"Hinata-chan, I'll go get two vases for you," offered Sakura, leaving the room with a smile.

Sasuke stared at the Hyuuga girl as she stood there keeping her eyes carefully trained on the floor. Hinata felt his eyes on her and looked up at him before quickly looking away. The Uchiha terrified Hinata. His eyes seemed to burn everything that fell under his scrutiny. She felt like he could see through her every intention and word. It was intimidating to look at him.

"I-I brought s-some flowers f-for you, Naruto-kun," muttered Hinata as Sakura came in with two water filled vases.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically. "But why does the teme get flowers?"

"T-they're from Yamanaka-san," Hinata explained, blushing. "S-she s-said the flowers are a 'get well soon' gift f-for him as her fr-friend."

Sasuke blinked. Ino sent him flowers? He watched the Hyuuga carefully set each of the flower arrangements in a vase, setting each one on their separate bedside tables.

"S-sayonara, Na-naruto-kun, U-uchiha-san," Hinata said, bowing and hurrying out, blushing.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan," Naruto called after her.

Sasuke looked at the flowers; they were irises. Those particular flowers were his and his mother's favorites. He had no idea how Ino had realized.

Ino had forgiven him for betraying the village. She had been angry with him at first. When he had been brought back, Ino had burst into his hospital room and started screaming at him. If the ANBU hadn't been there, she probably would have tried to hit him, and he had been in no condition to fight back.

After he had healed, Tsunade had had him placed on probation but had allowed him to attend the jounin exams with Sakura and Naruto. They had all passed.

Sasuke tore his gaze away from the flowers feeling the familiar bite of regret. Recalling everything was still painful. Naruto's voice brought him crashing back to reality.

"Sasuke-teme, you could have at least _thanked_ Hinata-chan for bringing _you_ of all people flowers," Naruto snapped at him. How could he thank her? He had nearly killed the man she loved.

"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke replied, leaning back on his pillows and closing his eye, pretending to be asleep. He didn't feel like talking, and Naruto never seemed to be at a loss for words.

Naruto stared at his teammate sleeping beside him. He highly doubted Sasuke was actually asleep. It was interesting how he had been watching Hinata. His gaze had never left her.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, if you've gotten to the second chapter, I commend you. I'm sorry if it's moving a little slow, but I have other stories to work on. If you like it, please review and continue. Warning though: UPDATES WILL BE SPORADIC! Meaning, I finish a chapter, I'll post it. I'm not guarenteeing that it will be a fast one though. So yeah. Whatever.

Chapter 2:

Hinata was overjoyed. It had been four days since she had visited the two shinobi in the hospital and they had been released. It was still snowing as she made her way to the Ichiraku, Naruto's favorite restaurant. When she got there, she was disappointed to not see Naruto there so she kept going.

_'I wonder where Naruto-kun is,'_ Hinata wondered as she walked. Her heart throbbed as she thought about the blonde haired loudmouth. She desperately wanted to tell him that she loved him, but she doubted that she could summon the courage to say anything to him. Ino and Sakura knew about her crush on Naruto, and if they knew then the whole of Konoha probably knew also. Not that it really mattered anyways. She guessed that maybe she had been really obvious after all.

Hinata looked up at the sky and watched the snow fall as she turned the corner. She felt a sharp pain and fell back realizing she had run into someone.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry," Hinata apologized, bowing to the person she had run into.

"Were you looking for the dobe, Hinata?" asked a cold voice.

Hinata straightened and realized that she had run into Uchiha Sasuke, the boy of every girl's dreams but hers. She loved Naruto. The Hyuuga looked at the ground and bit her lip sheepishly. _Why_ was she so afraid of him?

"H-hai, U-uchiha-san," Hinata replied turning around and hurriedly walking away from him.

"Hinata, the dobe is walking with Sakura being an idiot…as usual," Sasuke called.

Hinata turned around and stared at Sasuke for a few seconds. He just blinked and wore an expression that was indifferent but clearly said 'What' at the same time. Sasuke watched the Hyuuga heiress bow to him in thanks and then walk away rather quickly, her shoulders slumped and her head bowed. Was she afraid of him, maybe? His eye twitched at the thought.

The Uchiha turned onto a silent street and kept walking. The entire area was as silent as death. It was the Uchiha compound. Sasuke trudged through the snow glaring at everything in front of him. He hated living there, but he was an Uchiha. There was no room for argument in the matter; never had been, never would be.

Sasuke's thoughts drifted from the Uchiha complex to the Hyuuga. For some reason he was irritated that she doted on a person who so obviously didn't even notice her. He growled in frustration. Now that he thought about it, he had never spoken with Hinata. She was not one of his annoying fangirls and she most certainly did not like him. But she was timid and weak. Hyuuga Hinata was the type of girl with low self-esteem and was so introverted that she couldn't even stand up for herself. In other words, the very type of person that Uchiha Sasuke hated to be around.

The one thing that bugged him to no end though, was that she was obviously terrified of him for some reason. Well, he did train with a creepy snake that was a pedophile for about three years until Naruto dragged him back. Not to mention he had never spoken with people and the only amount of contact he had with other human beings was glaring at them. Yes, Hyuuga Hinata probably had every reason to be scared of the Uchiha being the major introvert that she was.

But why? _Why? Why_ of all things did that one subject have to bother him? Sasuke glared at his house. It was large, yes, but that didn't mean he liked living there.

"Hn…whatever," muttered Sasuke to himself as he unlocked the door to the Uchiha compound and walked inside, glowering. He was treating Ino to lunch tomorrow as a thank you for taking the trouble of sending him flowers. Many of the girls who had been in her flower shop when he walked in to tell her that he was treating her to lunch were jealous and immediately started shouting at Ino. Ino had vehemently denied anything was going on and said that she was glad she wasn't a stupid fangirl anymore and had actually become somewhat of a friend to the Uchiha.

Sasuke gave a small smirk at the idea going into the kitchen to make some tea. That was going to be an interesting lunch, tomorrow. "Hn."

The next day Hinata was walking outside again. She couldn't help it, it was just so beautiful. The heiress wondered if she would be able to summon the courage to ask Naruto if he would like to go on a walk with her, but he was so obviously infatuated with his pink haired teammate. Hinata felt like crying, but resisted the urge. What would her cousin say?

Neji had gotten better and so had Hanabi. Besides, Hinata had finally been permitted to return home. None the less, her cousin still had the ability to scare her. Hinata knew, though, that both Neji and her little sister cared about her even if they didn't show it.

Hinata passed the Ichiraku and heard Ino talking loudly. She entered the small restaurant and Ino looked up smiling at her.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" Ino greeted grinning. Sasuke glowered at her. Hinata's face reddened under his scrutiny so she turned her gaze back to Ino.

"H-Hello, Yamanaka-san," greeted Hinata, shyly.

"Hinata-chan, please call me Ino! I have a name," she said, laughing good-naturedly.

Hinata smiled at Ino sheepishly.

"Why don't you join us?" suggested Ino.

"A-arigatou," Hinata replied sitting down and ordering some ramen. The owner handed her a bowl and she started eating. Ino was talking about something with Sasuke and Hinata had no clue what it was about.

"By the way, Hinata-chan, how are things going for you at home?" Ino asked with concern. Sasuke looked at her, one of his infamous indifferent expressions plastered on his handsome features. Hinata smiled at Ino.

"My father and sister have gotten better, Ino-san," replied Hinata with a small smile. "Neji-niisan still scares me a little, but he's gotten a lot better."

"That's good to hear, Hinata-chan," Ino told her, grinning from ear to ear. "By the way, you are so adorable when you smile like that Hinata-chan."

Hinata flushed in embarrassment. Sasuke raised an eyebrow still wearing an indifferent expression. Ino took a bite of ramen and looked up at the clock.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun, Hinata-chan, but I have to get back to the shop," Ino apologized getting up and hugging the two of them. "See you tomorrow!"

The blonde kunoichi left with a rather large grin on her face. She had a small inkling that Sasuke felt a little something for the Hyuuga heiress and pretending that she had to leave would be the greatest opportunity for her to get them together. Naruto didn't deserve Hinata since he had never noticed how much she doted on him. Sasuke didn't deserve Sakura. She doted on him and he never returned it. In fact, Naruto deserved Sakura more and Ino knew it.

Hinata and Sasuke ate their meals in silence. The Hyuuga was eating kind of fast. She didn't want to be stuck with the Uchiha for a long time because of how much he scared her. He was very intimidating. Even though Tsunade had forgiven him for betraying Konohagakure, the villagers were still wary of him.

"If you eat that ramen any faster, you'll choke," Sasuke warned her, tone indifferent.

Hinata jumped a little, startled that he had spoken. "H-hai…" she responded, looking away shyly.

The owner watched Hinata and Sasuke. She was obviously very intimidated by the Uchiha. But the Uchiha's behavior towards Hinata was what surprised the owner. Usually Sasuke ignored every girl in sight besides Sakura, his teammate (but even then it was only acknowledgement that she was there), and Ino, her friend. He had actually paid attention to what Hinata was doing. Sure he had glared at her when she walked in, but it hadn't been his usual 'Get the hell away from me' glare that he gave to every girl (or person) graced with his presence. _The_ Uchiha Sasuke had glared at her with a look that not one person had ever seen before. It was hard to describe but the owner of the Ichiraku had something to talk with his wife about. Maybe she would be able to describe it to him.

The Hyuuga hurriedly paid for her food and quite literally bolted out of the restaurant at top speed. Sasuke looked after her with a surprised, but irritated, look for some strange reason known only to himself. He paid for his food as well and left. The owner smiled. Maybe the Uchiha wasn't an asexual and hated everyone and everything. Wait _everything?_ Let me rephrase that: maybe he didn't hate every_one, _every_thing_ certainly.

Uchiha Sasuke walked after Hyuuga Hinata to find out why on earth she was so terrified of him. He glared at the snow on the ground. The villagers were shooting him wary glances. Sasuke felt like kicking something.

Sasuke walked off to the forest knowing that Hinata usually liked to go there to look at the scenery. The Uchiha hid his presence and began to sneak up on the Hyuuga heiress. She wasn't bothering to mask her chakra and was obviously sitting at the base of a tree at a point with a lovely view of the village.

Hinata was admiring the scenery, wondering where Naruto had been instead of at the Ichiraku.

_'Maybe he was training,' _Hinata thought to herself, a small smile graced her lips as she looked at the snow covered buildings of Konohagakure.

"Hinata, were you looking for Naruto again?" asked a very familiar voice from above her.

Hinata literally jumped a foot in the air and looked up to see Sasuke sitting in the tree.

"H-how l-long have y-you been there U-uchiha-san?" asked Hinata.

"Five minutes," replied Sasuke, wearing an indifferent expression.

Hinata flushed seeing his indifferent expression. He had been there for five minutes and had probably been following her too. That made her mad.

"D-did y-you follow me h-here, U-uchiha-san?"

"Yes."

Hinata turned away and stared out at the village again, frowning in displeasure. At least he was honest though.

"Are you going to answer my question or not?" asked Sasuke from his perch in the tree.

Hinata was silent. She didn't see why she should answer his question. He had snuck up on her and scared her. Not to mention he scared her anyway.

"Why did you follow me?" Hinata asked, stutter gone and voice slightly raised.

Sasuke looked at Hinata in surprise. Her stutter was gone. He had to admit, she had every reason to be mad at him for sneaking up on her like that. Well, every other time she was around him she would run away from him. _'I guess I really do owe her a response…this time.'_

"Fine, I wanted to know why you're so terrified of me."


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, I decided that a quote is going to be the chapter title. I just decided this too, so here are the chapter titles for the first two chapters:

Chapter 1: "One word can warm three winter months." -Japanese proverb

Chapter 2: "One need not be a chamber to be haunted;

One need not be a house;

The brain has corridors surpassing

Material place." -Emily Dickinson

I had my reasons for choosing them. The poem by Emily Dickinson is about fear. So they really are self explanatory regarding the chapter and will make sense at the end. So yeah...

Chapter 3:

"_I must be cruel only to be kind;_

_Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind."_

_-William Shakespeare_

Hinata was _shocked._ Uchiha Sasuke was wondering why she was scared of him? Wasn't it obvious? He had trained with an S-class criminal, was an ice block that showed no signs of humanity _whatsoever,_ and he obviously hated everyone and everything.

"W-what?" stuttered Hinata, whirling around and facing the raven haired boy sitting above her.

"Why are you so terrified me?" repeated the Uchiha, not meeting her eyes.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hinata asked, standing and looking at him with a fierceness not often seen in the meek Hyuuga's eyes. Sasuke looked at her with surprise at the hard tone in her voice. "You were with an S-class criminal for three years! Uchiha you can kill all of us with ease!"

Sasuke looked at her blankly. Hinata glared up at him, she wanted to squirm and run away but that would be showing cowardice. She would not show that to him, _ever._ "Hinata, if I wanted to kill you I could have already done it," he told her, his voice was as cold as ever but there was a small tinge of sadness in it.

Hinata's expression changed from one of intense fury, to one of surprise. She had no idea that maybe all of those looks and whispers that the villagers gave him as he walked by or when he opened his mouth to say something, caused him pain. But even though she was still afraid of him, what he had said was right. As a medic nin and a byakugan user she could tell the amount of chakra a person had. Sasuke's chakra had doubled from what it had been when he left the village three years ago. Although she didn't want to admit it, he probably didn't even use half of his strength when he was sparring with Naruto or Sakura.

Her anger was dissipating and Sasuke was a little paranoid of getting down from the tree. Sure, training with that creepy snake bastard had made him a hell of a lot stronger, but Hinata was still powerful. She may look weak and defenseless to some, but that girl packed a nasty punch. "Are you still mad at me?"

"No."

Sasuke jumped down and sat next to Hinata on an exposed tree root. He didn't say a word and neither did she. They just sat there, looking out at the village. There were a few things that Hinata was itching to ask Sasuke some questions, but the Uchiha hated talking. He always had, but so had she.

"Uchiha-san," Hinata began hesitating, Sasuke looked at her expectantly, "why are you so…cold?"

Sasuke blinked, a little surprised at what Hinata had asked him. He looked at her. Hinata was still looking out at the village, a calm look on her face. "I…don't know," Sasuke replied. He fell back into silence. Hinata looked at him, pity in her eyes. She knew that his family had been killed by his elder brother, but she didn't know the details.

"Uchiha-san, would you like to take a walk with me?" Hinata asked as she stood up. Sasuke looked at her and she wanted to giggle at the look on his face. He almost looked…well…childlike as he looked up her with surprise.

"Why? Aren't you still afraid of me?" he asked, the look fading as fast as it had appeared.

"I do admit, I'm still afraid of you," Hinata confessed lacing her fingers together. "But, I thought…that…maybe…I could get to know you better since you obviously aren't a bad person."

"Are you sure, Hinata?" scoffed Sasuke.

"Yes, because just a few moments ago you looked surprised that I asked you if would want to take a walk with me," replied Hinata, a smile that no one ever realized was on her face gracing her lips.

Sasuke stood and looked at her, his emotionless obsidian orbs looking down at her. "Sure…I guess."

The two began to walk down a path in the forest in silence. Hinata then realized something that had baffled her for the longest time. It was the real reason why she had been so afraid of him. The Uchiha and Hyuuga heiress were very similar. They were both quiet and didn't like talking. Not to mention, they were both alone. However, their solitude was different. Maybe that was why she had been so afraid of him because in him, she saw a little bit of herself. Although, the little bit that she saw was barely even there. And that little bit, added with everything that she could have been that was in the avenger, was what made her afraid of him.

Hinata started to laugh. Her fear of him had been so stupid, that she couldn't help it. He probably thought she was insane, but she didn't care. Still, she wanted to know more about Uchiha Sasuke because then, maybe, she would have a true friend that she could relate too.

Sasuke stared at Hinata, who was laughing for no apparent reason whatsoever. He had witnessed strange behavior from Sakura, Ino, and various other girls, but never had he heard Hinata laugh like she was laughing.

"Hinata, why are you laughing?" asked Sasuke, deeply confused.

"Oh! B-because I just realized something," Hinata replied. "I realized why I was so afraid of you and it was such a stupid reason."

Sasuke stared at her, blinking owlishly. Hinata couldn't help but thinking that he looked a little like a child, standing there with an incredulous look plastered across his face. That made her laugh harder.

"What?" Sasuke demanded.

"Y-you look so strange with that look on your face, U-uchiha-san!" Hinata gasped between her laughter. Alright, now Sasuke was wondering if she was feeling alright. Her laughter diminished and she looked back up at him apologetically as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"I've never heard you laugh before," said Sasuke. He saw Hinata give him a very faint smile. It wasn't a true smile like he saw on Ino's face sometimes, but it was a smile none the less.

"And the same goes for you." Sasuke blinked at that. It was true. He never laughed. Honestly, he felt as if he had forgotten how. The avenger could not even remember what it felt like to laugh.

The two made their way through the forest, a light snow was falling. Hinata stared at the scenery. She couldn't understand why she felt so safe with the Uchiha by her side. It was as if she knew that he would let nothing happen to her while she was with him.

"Uchiha-san, do you know why it snows?" asked Hinata. Sasuke gave her a confused look, but decided to humor the Hyuuga heiress by answering her question.

"Because of the weather," replied Sasuke, voice indifferent. Hinata looked at him and smiled. It wasn't a small smile but a happy grin that lit up the girl's face.

"No, Uchiha-san," Hinata told him. "It snows because the sky is crying for those who cannot cry."

Sasuke stared at Hinata. It was as if she was trying to tell him something. He didn't know what though. "Hinata, what do you mean?"

The Uchiha saw her smile sadly at him, and he wished that he could wipe that smile off her face to see her smile like she had when he had made his reply. "Uchiha-san, what I mean is that because you are unable to cry and you won't let anyone else do it for you, the snow becomes the tears of the sky crying for you and your sorrows. Just as it's cried for all the people before you and me."

Hinata watched as Sasuke's face seemed to darken. His eyes seemed to lose their coldness and what she saw nearly broke her heart in two. She didn't know why it gave her a feeling of sorrow by seeing that look in his eyes, but when she saw that vulnerability in his face Hinata knew that she hated seeing him like that. Wisely, she decided to change the topic. Maybe she could get him to smile for her.

The two continued to walk in silence. Sasuke didn't mind. He actually enjoyed walking with the Hyuuga heiress. They both enjoyed quiet. Both had to deal with loud comrades, so it was always nice when they got some time where it was quiet.

"Uchiha-san, is something bothering you?" queried Hinata. Sasuke looked at her. It was true, the Byakugan really could see everything. She was right though, something was bothering him.

It was the fact that he had no idea why Hinata had been on his mind lately. He never thought about anyone other than Itachi and how he would like to kill him, slow and painful or quick and painless. Personally, he preferred the slow and painful. Sasuke looked away and gave his usual response. He couldn't explain it, so why should he tell her?

"Alright, you don't have to tell me Uchiha-san," replied Hinata, simply letting the matter drop. Sasuke looked straight ahead of him, they were getting close to the village now and would soon be entering it. He couldn't bring himself to open up to Hinata because if he did, she would be place in danger.

He knew the answer to why he was so cruel to everyone. It was Sasuke's one simple kindness for people. In order to keep them safe, he kept people at a distance. The Uchiha prodigy wouldn't be surprised if Hinata already knew that, but he didn't care. Keeping others at a distance meant that he could keep them safe, but it didn't mean that it hurt him. That's why he hated Naruto so much.

The blonde loudmouth was able to make friends with people so easily and Sasuke…he was afraid. He was afraid to get to know others. He was afraid that he would hurt them, that they would be hurt because of him, or that he would be hurt by them. That was why he always seemed angry. It was his shield. One of his small comforts.

Hinata and Sasuke walked side by side through the village in a comfortable silence. The villagers were staring in shock at the two walking down the street. The Hyuuga and the Uchiha, it was a strange sight for the villagers. Immediately some of the older women began glaring at Sasuke and the silence began to grow uncomfortable.

The heiress sensed Sasuke's discomfort and stole a sideways glance at him. His face was as emotionless and stoic as ever, but he wasn't looking at anyone in particular. In fact, it was almost as if he was trying to ignore everyone. Hinata decided the best option would be to get him away from the villagers. Discreetly she tugged on his sleeve and turned around a corner into a quiet alleyway that no one ever used.

When the entered and were halfway through it she heard a sigh escape from the Uchiha. "Uchiha-san, are you alright?" Hinata asked stopping and looking at him. She saw Sasuke give her his customary smirk. Not a smile, a smirk. It was a look that clearly said 'I'm just peachy, you?' His eyes said a different story. He wasn't alright, he was far from it.

"Hinata, please stop calling me 'Uchiha-san,'" requested Sasuke as he started walking again, Hinata falling in step beside him. "I have a name."

"Very well, Sasuke-san," Hinata replied.

The alleyway opened up onto a deserted street. It was the Uchiha compound. The most quiet part of Konoha. Sasuke's face immediately darkened upon seeing it. Hinata was growing concerned. In that short amount of time, just by observing him, she had learned a lot about Uchiha Sasuke. "Do you dislike living here, Sasuke-san?"

"Hate it," Sasuke replied, a cold bite in his voice.

"Why do you hate it so much?" Hinata asked. She was actually curious. Even though she knew that he had every reason to hate living there, it didn't mean that he probably had other reasons than the obvious ones.

"It gets…lonely…sometimes," replied Sasuke. Hinata could feel a heavy weight falling onto her chest. He actually was _alone. _No one was there. She at least had Neji and Hanabi, but he had no one. Well, she wanted to change that fact. Sakura would never listen to him and Naruto was to busy challenging him to fights, so Hinata decided that she would listen to him. _She_ would be there for him.

"Sasuke-san, why don't we train together tomorrow," Hinata suggested, catching Sasuke off guard.

"I'd like that," Sasuke replied. "Oh and Hinata, you stopped stuttering by the way."

Hinata blushed furiously as Sasuke walked away waving at her over his shoulder. He was right, she had stopped stuttering. She smiled as she watched him get smaller and smaller. The Hyuuga heiress had just found a true friend in Uchiha Sasuke. And unlike her previous thought, he hadn't pushed her away like he did with his teammates. He actually accepted her offer of company. Well, at least she had something to look forward to tomorrow.

A/N: Yeah I know, they are kind of OOC but I'm trying portray something. I mean we don't really see a lot of Hinata's personality in the anime and manga because she is a supporting character, but a very important one at that. She is shy and meek on the outside, but what about the girl we saw during her fight with Neji in the chuunin exams. What I'm trying to portray with Hinata, is the girl we don't see. How she puts on a facade to show other people.

Regarding why I portrayed Sasuke this way, is because I really do think that we don't see the side of him that actually does care, so to speak. What I mean, is that maybe the reason why he is so cruel and 'the human icecube' (literally) is that he's afraid. I really do think that Sasuke is afraid of hurting people, have them get hurt because of him, and being hurt by him. Sure, he goes off to Orochimaru and betrays the entire village but you know, he could have had ulterior motives to that reasoning. Like when he protected Naruto from Haku trying to kill him, we saw a person that he doesn't normally show. And what I'm trying to portray is the people we don't see underneath the facade that they put on, but rather the person that we know is somewhere within those people.

That's also why I think Hinata and Sasuke do make a good couple. Sakura (I do like Sasuke and Sakura as a pairing and I do like the character) does not hide behind a mask like Sasuke and Hinata. The two have striking similarities. I mean, Hinata is considered weak. Before Itachi, the son of a bitch (no offense to Itachi fans, I do respect him though because you have to hand it to him, he's smart), killed the entire clan, Sasuke had to live up to the expectations of his father and the entire village of having to be exactly like his brother. Just like how Hiashi wants Hinata to be like her sister. So yeah, my rant is done. Review, dammit.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Okay then...Chapter 4... I'll spare you my rant at the beginning.

Chapter 4:

"_Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom."_

_-Soren Kierkegaard (1813 – 1855)_

Sasuke was always up before dawn. Not only that, he was always up for half of the night too. It wasn't a question of how he did it, but why. Sakura had often questioned him on missions that required sleeping out in the middle of nowhere under the stars about why he was always up so late, and up so early too. He had never answered her questions, and for the very simple reason that he would never tell anyone.

Sure, Kakashi-sensei probably knew why. Naruto probably had some inkling as to why, but no one else understood. Not one.

The reason he stayed up so late: the nightmares. It was as simple as that. Although, it wasn't as if he didn't have them during the day too. If he ever said that he never once saw flashes of the day his clan was massacred during the day, Sasuke would have thrown himself off a cliff for lying. Simple as that. No fabrications, no lies. The fact was, he did have them. He always saw his parents bodies lying on the ground in front of him with his brother standing over them, blood red eyes fixated on him.

That was why Sasuke always stayed alert and on his guard. If he drifted off into his own world, he would see them. Then the guilt, the pain, and the feeling of never being good enough would rise out of chest, rearing it's ugly head, once again.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice was telling him living like this wasn't good for him. Well, if Gaara was any indication that insomnia wasn't good for you, then well, who was going to argue.

Sasuke sat at his kitchen table, a bowl of rice in front of him. If his looks alone could spoil food, that rice would have been well past edible. He sat there, chopsticks in hand, glaring at it. The Uchiha prodigy never had much of an appetite since his mind was constantly filled with the most gruesome ways of killing that psycho-mass-murderer brother of his.

He had another nightmare that night, keeping him awake half of the time he was usually asleep. Well, at least Naruto hadn't come in the middle of the night this time. Six months ago Sasuke had nearly decapitated his teammate when Naruto tried to arouse him from a rather deep slumber. Of course, this was after he was nearly turned into some sort of pincushion for kunai, all of this from the various traps that Sasuke set up every night before he went to sleep.

Him, paranoid? No, not in the least. Naruto suggested that he should relax. Of course, Sasuke had responded with his usually well-placed attitude of 'I-don't-give-a-damn'. This had successfully infuriated Naruto for the billionth time. Sasuke did care though, he really cared. He had actually been afraid that he had hurt Naruto in some way, even though he would never admit it.

Sasuke felt nauseous for some reason at the thought of having hurt his best friend and pushed away the bowl of rice. He rested his head on the table and closed his eyes. "Damn it all to hell," he muttered

* * *

Naruto grinned wickedly as he walked out of his apartment that morning. He was going to see Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei that morning, not to mention that bastard Sasuke. Team 7 was meeting in their usual spot even though they had all long since passed the chuunin level. Sakura was a jounin while both Sasuke and Naruto were ANBU members. The jinchuuriki was getting closer to becoming Hokage. 

Still, Naruto was worried about his teammate. He knew that Sasuke never slept that much, but he really thought that it wasn't that good for him. The blond shinobi considered asking Sakura for something that would put the bastard asleep for a day. He would slip it into his food and then the Uchiha would be out of his hair, for awhile.

Naruto was seriously considering this plan until he realized that Sasuke's reaction would be enough to go down into the history books. _'He would kill me a thousand times over if I did that…'_

The Kyuubi vessel shuddered at the thought. **_'Really, kit, why should you be so afraid of him when you have me?'_**

Naruto glared at nothing as he muttered something about stupid foxes and the fact that they didn't know when to shut up. The Kyuubi growled at him and then returned into the recesses of Naruto's mind to bother him some other day.

* * *

Sasuke joined the rest of his team at the bridge. He wasn't the first person there that morning only because he had been dealing with another one of his frequent day-mares; how he hated them.

Kakashi joined them thirty minutes later with a lame excuse about helping a pair of old ladies cross the street. Sakura kindly reminded him he had already used that excuse twice. As soon as their meeting was over, Sasuke stood to leave.

"Sasuke-kun, where are you going?" Sakura asked.

"To train," was the Uchiha's cold, indifferent response. Sakura looked a little disappointed. Yes, she had grown up and gotten over her infatuation of the Uchiha, but she was still too nosy for Sasuke half of the time he was around her. Not to mention she treated him like the rest of the villagers sometimes: a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off and kill the unfortunate person who just happened to be sitting there. Kami above, he hated that.

"Ano sa, Sasuke-teme, with who?" Naruto asked, looking at his teammate curiously. Sasuke looked at him for a moment, closed his eyes and walked away.

"What I do while training is none of your business, dobe," said Sasuke quietly as he walked away from his teammates. Yes, it hurt leaving them standing there like that. He knew very well that the way he acted towards them, even after what they had done for him and were still doing for him, hurt all of them.

Kakashi's only visible eyebrow was raised in mild interest as he watched the 5'11" moody teen walk away. His sensei knew very well who Sasuke was training with. Sasuke probably knew that, but didn't care.

"Jeez, god damn bastard," Naruto ground out furiously. "I swear he needs to learn how to loosen up."

Kakashi looked at Naruto and Sakura. "You don't have to worry, Naruto," said Kakashi as he reached for his dirty book. "I know who he's training with. It's not as if he's going to leave again."

Naruto jumped slightly at Kakashi's words. He looked at him with a dark expression. Yes, Sasuke was as aloof as ever, but Tsunade still didn't completely trust him yet. With the rest of Team Seven's backing he was able to continue rising through the ranks. However, some personal freedoms he had were taken away from him. An ANBU would visit him every day to make sure he was still residing in the Uchiha compound and every three days he would report to either Kakashi or Tsunade. Not to mention he was no longer allowed solo missions.

Tsunade wanted him to prove his loyalty to the village somehow, but none of the villagers had a clue as to how to confirm that. Naruto was still trying to devise a way and often consulted Shikamaru, the lazy genius, as to how. He was unhelpful though.

"Kakashi-sensei, who is he training with?" queried Sakura as Kakashi opened up his orange book. She watched silently as Kakashi turned his visible eye to her.

"Hyuuga Hinata," Kakashi replied. Naruto and Sakura looked bewildered. Naruto's mouth opened once and then shut again.

"He'll…he'll…" Naruto struggled to form the words.

"Sasuke would do no such thing, Naruto, you know that," replied the silver haired jounin calmly. "Besides, from what I understand, Hinata was the one who asked him."

Sakura blinked in surprised. That didn't sound like the Hinata she knew. The Hinata the villagers of Konoha knew was a meek girl who was infatuated with Naruto, not with Sasuke. "Kakashi-sensei, how do you know?"

"Ino told me," replied Kakashi as he walked away, nose buried in 'Icha Icha Paradise.'

Naruto and Sakura exchanged worried looks.

* * *

Hinata was already at the training grounds having met with Team Eight earlier when Sasuke showed up. She bowed politely to him as he joined her. He returned it.

"Ohayo, Sasuke-san," Hinata greeted quietly. Sasuke gave her his usual response but Hinata didn't mind. After all, she had Neji to deal with. The Hyuuga genius was just as bad although he had opened up a little more, whereas Sasuke had shut himself up almost to the point of becoming the village recluse in more ways than one.

The heiress watched silently as Sasuke closed his eyes, as if he was trying to blot something out of his mind. "Is there something wrong, Sasuke-san?" Sasuke's eyes snapped open and he looked at Hinata for a few seconds before shaking his hands.

"So, what rules should we establish?" asked Sasuke, straight to the point like he always was. Hinata smiled softly.

"No kekkei genkai," she replied. Sasuke nodded in agreement. The last thing they needed was them killing each other during a simple spar and going on a landscaping expedition.

"And?" Sasuke asked, feeling as if there was something else.

"No chidori, no jyuuken, and most of all: no killing each other," replied Hinata. Sasuke smirked. She was being fair. He knew that Hinata was not the only person besides Ino and Sakura that had improved while he and Naruto had been away. The little he had picked up from Ino was that Hinata was almost as strong as Neji and was one of the best medic nin in Konohagakure.

"Alright," Sasuke agreed. "Begin?" Hinata nodded their consent and the two jumped a part, judging each other's distance. There was utter silence as a cold wind rushed by the two each with their own separate stances. Snow in one of the many trees fell onto the ground in a thick blanket.

Hinata attacked first creating several shadow doppelgangers and attacking Sasuke at once. She followed up a simple sweeping kick to his legs that was easily dodged by the Uchiha with kunai.

Sasuke jumped back, pulled out his own kunai and blocked the throwing knives sent at him by the Hyuuga heiress. He had to admit, she had become a much better fighter over the years. Quickly Sasuke formed several hand seals and prepared a katon. He felt the hot chakra building up in his lungs and released the fireball.

Hinata switched her own body with a kawarimi leaving a rather charred log in the place she had once been, the snow around it melting from the heat. Sensing her presence behind him, Sasuke jumped back into the air and as Hinata threw a shuriken at him, he disappeared.

Hinata looked around her in surprise trying to find the Uchiha. _'Where did he go?'_ she wondered.

"Below you," said a voice that sounded very familiar. Hinata looked down to see Sasuke's hand come out of the ground and pull her down. The Uchiha reappeared in front of her with only Hinata's head visible above the ground.

"Sasuke-san, you learned that from Hatake-san, didn't you?" Hinata asked as she struggled to release herself from doton. Sasuke smirked at her.

"I may have picked up a few things," replied Sasuke as he watched her struggle. "I win, Hinata."

Hinata glowered at him and then started quietly giggling as she successfully began to pull herself out of the cold earth. "I guess you do," agreed Hinata. She pulled herself and began to brush her clothes off.

Bending down the Hyuuga heiress began to form a snowball. She looked up and noticed that Sasuke was staring off into space, obviously thinking about something. "Sasuke-san, think fast!"

Sasuke turned in time to see a white ball of something come flying into his face. He heard laughter and then the snow slowly slid off of his face. Hinata had decided to throw a snowball at him. The Uchiha gave her a small smirk and returned the snowball.

Hinata shrieked in response as the cold snow smacked her. She turned around brushing the snow out of her indigo hair to see Sasuke smirking at her. Their previous spar turned into an all out snowball fight with ninjutsu as the two tried to outdo the other.

An hour later Hinata collapsed onto the snow, face flushed and her hair a mess, gasping for breath. Sasuke was sitting on the ground panting slightly a few feet away from her. "You've gotten stronger, Hinata," Sasuke told her.

Hinata opened her pearl white eyes and looked at him. His onyx colored eyes were closed as he sat on the ground resting on his palms. She smiled and flopped back onto the snow, at the grey sky. "Arigatou, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke looked up at the grey clouds and noticed how stormy the weather looked. He was cold and Sasuke knew his hair was soaked. Somehow he was sure that Hinata was just as wet. "It's going to snow again."

"I suppose it will," agreed Hinata softly. There was silence as the unlikely pair stared at the sky. Hopefully it wouldn't turn into a full blown blizzard by nighttime. In all likelihood, that was what was going to happen. "We should go before it does."

Hinata looked at Sasuke in surprise. The Uchiha wasn't looking at her as he stood up, his hair obviously soaked. He offered his hand to Hinata, who gratefully accepted it. Sasuke pulled her up and began to walk off the training grounds. "I'll walk you home," Sasuke said as Hinata hurried to catch up to him.

The two walked side by side in a comfortable silence. The streets of the village were practically deserted because the knew that it was probably going to begin to snow heavily again. As they neared the Hyuuga compound Hinata turned to Sasuke.

"Thank you again Sasuke-san," Hinata said, "but I can go the rest of the way. Besides, it would only inconvenience you to be asked questions by my family for being in my company." Hinata bowed to him and walked off towards the Hyuuga compound. Sasuke watched her for a moment and then headed slowly back to the Uchiha compound.

He really didn't want to go back. It felt like he was being watched by someone that wasn't really there. The ANBU that came to greet him was probably there already too. That man had the annoying habit of coming at random moments to come see if he was still where he was supposed to be

* * *

Sasuke was surprise the see that the ANBU was not there. Usually he was, but Sasuke just shrugged it off. The longer the amount of time he had alone the better. He walked a little farther into the complex but stopped feeling the all to familiar feeling of being watched by something or someone. 

The Uchiha was certain that it was not a person. He would have found them already. Silently his eyes lingered on the windows of one of the empty houses that was probably filled with dust and cobwebs. There was some person staring at him out of the window. Sasuke blinked in surprise and then the person was gone.

Over the years Sasuke had come to accept that there was the possibility that the spirits of his family were still residing in the Uchiha compound. Occasionally he would not have been surprised to have heard things during the nights he had stayed awake as a young boy in his home.

As he became a teenager the voices, noises, and ghostly apparitions had vanished leaving Sasuke alone. Now for some strange reason the ethereal apparitions had slowly returned.

He shrugged it off and continued towards the main house. Sasuke unlocked the door and walked into the house. Peeling off his sandals he set them down and closed the door behind him as another chilly blast blew through the front door.

Sasuke walked towards the stairs but stopped when he felt the temperature drop suddenly. There was a rather angry presence in the house behind him. Slowly, Sasuke raised his head and looked at the top of the stairs and saw Uchiha Mikito looking down at him. The breath in Sasuke's throat caught and he felt the rush of another being pass through him from behind and then everything went black.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so yeah I know weird ending. Anways, I personally believe in ghosts. And, honestly, with all the genocide that happened in the Uchiha compound I believe that their vengeful spirits would be left behind. And since Sasuke became a missing nin like Itachi, I think they would be just as angry. But this little incident will probably be very important towards the plot. I don't know how though.

Again, I know both Hinata and the others are acting out of character. If you have any complaints read my previous rant. Thank you! Read, enjoy and then press the little blue button in the corner of the page to review. Until the next chapter.

Inwe Tiwele

P.S. This message will self destruct in five minutes. (sorry, I had too). Inisde joke for a certain few people that I know. So yeah, bye!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Yeah, this is kind of short but I think this is a transition chapter. Wait...yeah, it is a transition chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 5:

"_Our revels now are ended. These our actors,_

_As I foretold you, were all spirits, and_

_Are melted into air, into thin air:_

_And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,_

_The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,_

_The solemn temples, the great globe itself,_

_Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,_

_And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,_

_Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff_

_As dreams are made on; and our little life_

_Is rounded with a sleep."_

_-William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616), "The Tempest", Act 4 Scene_

An ANBU member wearing a stylized tiger mask approached the main house of the Uchiha compound. To tell the truth, he enjoyed irritating the Uchiha Avenger to a certain degree by appearing at extremely odd hours to see if he was still in the Uchiha compound if he wasn't walking around the village. He doubted anyone but himself was outside at that very moment since it was beginning to snow again. It was a very well known fact that Uchiha Sasuke despised the cold and anything involving water in general.

Since the former nuke nin was nowhere to be seen in the village, he had to be either at home or have left the village never to return. The ANBU doubted that as he reached the front door and knocked. He knew very well that Sasuke hated it when people entered his house without knocking, especially if it was a certain blonde haired shinobi with an extremely large mouth who had recently told him about his attempt to rouse Sasuke from a dead sleep and nearly get decapitated in the process. Getting decapitated by a pissed off Uchiha was not on the list of that ANBU's **To Do** list and wouldn't be any time soon, hopefully never.

He raised his hand and rapped sharply on the door. There was no response and not a sound could be heard. That was strange since Sasuke usually opened the door before the ANBU could even raise his hand to knock. The guy had an abnormal sixth sense and yet he had not opened the door. The house didn't look as though it had been shut down and would remain so for quite a long time. In fact, it looked quite the opposite. It was as if something had happened and that was exactly what his gut was telling him.

Hoping that it was just an overreaction to Sasuke not acting like he normally did he waited two minutes before knocking again, and again it was the same response. His eyes narrowed behind his mask. The ANBU doubted that Sasuke had left again, in fact he thought that something wasn't right. There was only one person who understood the Uchiha sometimes and that was Naruto so he might as well go get the blonde loudmouth. If that didn't get Sasuke to answer the door he didn't know what would.

--

Naruto was sitting in his apartment with a bowl of ramen and chopsticks at the ready, a grin on his face as he stared hungrily at the steaming bowl. "Itadakimasu!" Naruto cried as he began to stuff his face with ramen. He was stopped by a sharp knocking on his door. The jinchuuriki looked up with ramen noodles hanging out of his mouth still and glared at the door. **_'Kit, go get the door so that annoying knocking will stop.'_**

Naruto glowered at the door for the second time. Sighing heavily, he stood up and answered the door to see another ANBU member standing there. "What is it?" he asked confused. ANBU only came to see him to talk to him about missions and orders from the Hokage, nothing else. Although, something wasn't entirely right with the man standing in front of him. It was as if he was anxious about something.

"Aa…Uzumaki-san, Uchiha-san isn't opening his door," the ANBU told him scratching his head. Naruto's face was impassive as the ANBU continued. "Usually, Uchiha-san opens the door before I can knock but this time he didn't even open the door after five minutes." The ANBU watched as Naruto's face changed from irritated, to impassive, to suspicious, and back to irritated.

"Damn teme," Naruto said as he turned back into his apartment and beckoned the ANBU to follow him. He pulled on his orange and black jacket and looked sadly at his bowl of ramen. "I guess I'll just have to go knock some sense in the teme's head…again." The ANBU smiled behind his mask as the two left the apartment complex and headed towards the Uchiha compmound, mere blurs on the roof.

Naruto and the fellow ANBU member reached the gates and passed through it. Sasuke's friend looked around and immediately felt distaste for the area. He couldn't believe that his best friend had lived there his entire life in solitude. To be honest, the place was kind of creepy. The two half-walked, half-ran to the main house. Naruto pounded on the door. There was no response.

Out of sheer rage at his friend for not answering his god damn door, Naruto kicked open the door. Sasuke was no doubt going to kill him for doing that. The two walked in and found his sandals in front of the door indicating that he was still there. That cleared Sasuke of suspicion of what had happened. They walked further into the house and found the Uchiha lying at the foot of the stairs unconscious.

The ANBU and Naruto froze in shock staring at the soaked, unmoving Uchiha. They ran forward and gently pushed Sasuke onto his back. His skin was freezing for a very strange reason that none of them understood and his eyes flickered beneath his eyelids.

"Sasuke-teme, wake up," Naruto whispered hitting his friend in the face rather hard. His friend's eyes flickered open and it was obvious he couldn't really tell who was standing above him. Naruto's eyes flickered with concern. Was it actually finally possible that Sasuke had driven himself into the ground from exhaustion? "It's me…Naruto. Sasuke, what happened?"

Sasuke blinked blearily and turned his head to the side. The angry presence was still there and it was getting closer to him. He felt like he was going to be sick and obviously his face showed it. "Naruto…get me out of here."

Naruto blinked. He had never heard Sasuke sound like that before and that scared him. Carefully Naruto pulled Sasuke into a sitting position and carried him on his back to his apartment, the ANBU following. None of the other villagers noticed which Naruto was grateful for but the snow was falling hard again. They reached the door and the ANBU kindly opened the door for Naruto. "Hey, could you get Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei," Naruto requested. The ANBU nodded in consent and disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

The blonde haired ANBU member closed the door and put his friend on the ground for a few moment. He pulled out a futon and literally dragged Sasuke onto it, covering him with a blanket. His friend was still soaking wet indicating to Naruto that the Uchiha had not even bothered to dry off his hair. "Ne, Sasuke-teme, Sakura-chan will be here soon," Naruto told him grinning at him.

Sasuke opened his eyes and glared at the blonde shinobi sitting next to him. It was obvious to Naruto that Sasuke did not particularly care. He wouldn't be telling him anytime soon anyway. "Sasuke, what happened?"

Naruto waited for an answer as Sasuke blinked in response. The Uchiha could be very tight-lipped when he wanted to be…wait that was all of the time. The jinchuuriki seriously doubted that his friend was going to say anything to him in response. There was another knock on his door and for the second time Naruto answered it. Kakashi-sensei walked in, closely followed by their pink-haired teammate. Naruto thanked the ANBU and then closed the door.

The three approached Sasuke and sat down. Sakura removed his hitai-ate and placed her hand on her forehead. Naruto watched the girl of his dreams furrow his brow in concern. "Sasuke-kun, why is your skin so cold?"

Naruto frowned in displeasure at his friend's response, the response he gave to every living thing on the planet. A customary response that Naruto discovered was particular to Neji, Gaara, Shino, and all of those incapable of speaking more than monosyllables. The least Sasuke could do was answer Sakura's question.

Sakura merely gave him a smile and continued to ask him questions that Sasuke would not answer. "Sasuke, answering these questions might actually help us find out what's wrong with you," Kakashi pointed out calmly. Naruto watched Sasuke shoot a withering glare towards his former sensei. Kakashi seemed unfazed, as usual.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm going to check your chakra levels now," Sakura told him a green light enfolding her hands as she checked his chakra levels. Naruto watched her out of the corner of his eye as her beautiful emerald eyes became clouded with confusion. Sakura's happy smile broadened as she ceased checking for any signs of exhaustion. "You're fine Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke snorted, closed his eyes, and merely went to sleep. Sakura looked at Kakashi and Naruto, her facial expression telling them that it was best to talk outside. The two other men followed Sakura outside of the apartment to talk. Naruto closed the door behind him. "Naruto-kun, can you tell us how you found him?" Sakura asked.

"Well, he was unconscious at the foot of the stairs in his house," Naruto replied, wondering what Sakura could mean by asking such a question. Her brow furrowed at the news and Kakashi's visible eyebrow was raised. "What do you mean, Sakura?"

"Ano…this could sound strange, but I think this is something that I can't fix," Sakura replied. Kakashi and Naruto looked at Sakura for a moment. Naruto in shock. He had always believed that Sakura was one of the best medic nin in Konohagakure, not to mention the entire known world. If it was something that she could not cure then it had to be bad.

"Sakura, are you suggesting that it could be a mental problem?" Kakashi asked. Naruto looked at his sensei with shock. Sasuke…mental problems? Never. Wait, no…that was possible. He had never really been _normal_ so to speak. But, that still didn't clarify what he meant.

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura replied looking troubled. "But, his chakra levels are fine, he has no injuries, and there seems to be no illnesses. I'm not good with things up here" – she tapped her head as she spoke – "Ino is, not me and I doubt he would let her into his head any time soon." Naruto silently agreed with Sakura. Sasuke was very particular about his personal space. Well, he would just have to allow him to stay in his own apartment for the night. Boy would that suck. Hopefully, Sasuke wouldn't kill him the next morning.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Holy shit talk about fast updating. Okay I kind of left you with a cliffy but I just had to give you an incentive to keep reading. So enjoy the fluffiness!

Chapter 6:

_"Trust yourself. Your perceptions are often more accurate_

_than you are willing to believe."_

_-Claudia Black_

Hinata had heard about the incident in the Uchiha compound and she was worried for her new found friend. Sakura had called Ino and Ino had called Hinata. She was making a soup for the lone Uchiha since the news that had reached her was that he hadn't really left his house for a few days. Rumor from Ino was that he had fallen ill from not having dried his hair properly.

Carefully the Hyuuga heiress poured the soup out of the pot and into a large container to take over to him. She put a lid on the soup and pulled out a pink handkerchief pausing to stare at it. The handkerchief was the color of Sakura's hair and she stared at it sadly for a few moments. Though the years since they had been genin were long since gone and many teams were now ANBU members, Naruto was still infatuated with Sakura and Hinata still loved Naruto more than anything. She felt a hint of jealousy towards the talented kunoichi while Hinata would amount to nothing. Naruto would never notice the girl.

The door to the kitchen opened and Neji walked in. "Hinata-sama, where are you going in this weather?" asked the Hyuuga genius impassively while his eyes showed a hint of concern and confusion.

"Oh, Neji-niisan, please stop calling me 'sama,'" Hinata requested in her soft voice. "It's embarrassing. I'm taking this food to a friend of mine, nothing more." She finished tying the handkerchief around it with finality and turned to leave. Neji was looking at her suspiciously.

"You're taking it to the Uchiha aren't you?" Neji asked. Hinata looked at him with a blank face. Her cousin was very perceptive and it didn't help that he didn't approve all that much of Naruto's best friend. Even though Sasuke had returned and somewhat proven his loyalty to Konohagakure, Neji hadn't completely forgiven him yet as had the rest of the Hyuuga clan.

"What if I am, Neji-niisan?" Hinata asked quietly. Neji stared at her before sighing. Hinata would take it to him anyway even if Hiashi would not approve. Besides, the Uchiha hadn't tried to kill anyone besides the blonde loud mouth yet although that was by pure accident. His cousin walked past him and out of the kitchen.

Hinata pulled on a pair of boots and walked out of the main house of the Hyuuga compound bowing to her fellow relatives as she went. It was cold out and there was a new layer of fresh snow on top of the older layers. This winter was holding some of the strangest weather patterns that Hinata had ever seen.

Kiba was home sick with a cold and the gates to Konoha were shut all day since there was too much snow on the ground to push them open. Not to mention practically all teams had members home sick with the flu or a cold causing every last mission to be postponed until the weather got better. Hinata seriously doubted that would be anytime soon.

The Hyuuga heiress reached the empty Uchiha compound and she stared at the empty street shivering from the cold. Hinata's breath was forming a hazy mist in front of her whenever she exhaled. Sasuke's home was sinister feeling, even in the day. Strengthening her resolve by scrunching her eyes shut, Hinata took a trembling step inside of the compound.

The silence pressed down on her from all sides and when Hinata opened her eyes she saw boarded up windows and small snow flurries dancing on top of the snow. Trudging silently through the dreary landscape she focused on moving forward letting her Hyuuga eyes take in the rest.

It was no wonder Sasuke hated it here. Hinata felt a great dislike for the place after the Uchiha massacre left it practically empty except for one lonely soul. Every time she had walked by it she felt as if hundreds of eyes were watching her as she went by. During the time that Sasuke had been a nuke nin, it had been a game among the Academy students to see how far they could go into the compound before getting frightened by some nonexistent apparition.

The Hyuuga felt as if it was a great insult to the Uchiha clan to have it been turned into some playground for children that didn't understand what had happened and what could easily happen to them. She distinctly remembered Naruto, Sakura, Neji, herself, and the other Rookie Nine along with their senseis approach Tsunade and ask her to have the Academy teachers educate the children on the deserted compound. Sasuke, of course, didn't know that any of this had ever even happened, a part of Hinata wanted it to stay that way.

She reached the main house and knocked on the closed door. The Hyuuga heiress shivered from the cold as a soft shuffling could be heard from the other side of the door. The footsteps stopped in front of the door and there was a small pause before the lock clicked and the door was opened by none other than Uchiha Sasuke wrapped up in a dark blue blanket with his hair messier than it usually was.

Hinata smiled and lifted up the container of soup she had brought him. To Hinata, he looked as if he had fallen ill. His face was paler than it usually was and it had a tired appearance replacing the well-worn mask. Sasuke eyes were dull with fatigue and there was a slight pink tint to his cheeks. He was definitely sick. "I brought you some soup," Hinata told him, still smiling.

Sasuke didn't say a word but moved to let Hinata in out of the cold. She took off her shoes and entered his home. The Hyuuga heiress heard the click of the door closing and followed Sasuke into the kitchen. "So, who told you I was sick?" he asked.

"Ino-san," Hinata replied. "Sakura-san told her and then Ino-san called me." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that. He had no idea what the girl was trying to pull but whatever it was, he didn't really want to know. The Uchiha progeny had learned very quickly that whatever plots that women came up with, it was better left alone so that it would come out eventually. After all, they usually did.

"Word spreads fast," Sasuke grumbled to himself. The two entered the kitchen and Hinata moved towards the cupboards to get some bowls but Sasuke stopped her. "I'll do it."

Hinata smiled kindly at him and with a gentle look told him to sit down. It made her smile grow when he grudgingly complied. "No, Sasuke-san," Hinata said as she pulled out a bowl for him. "You are sick and deserve to be treated as such." The Hyuuga heiress made a face and the corners of Sasuke's mouth twitched slightly as if he was going to start laughing any minute. Much to Hinata's disappointment, he didn't.

Silently, she poured the still steaming soup into the bowl and placed it in front of him along with a pair of chopsticks. Hinata placed the lid back on the container and placed it in the fridge for him later. Sasuke had already started eating so Hinata sat across from him at the kitchen table smiling slightly. "How is it?" she asked unsure of how she had done. Hinata sometimes made dinner for her family seeming as it would be good practice once the elders decided to marry her off to some stranger. Her well-placed smile faltered slightly at the thought of being forced to marry someone against her will.

Sasuke looked up and seemed to notice her pensive look, but he said nothing. "It's good," he complimented as he ate it. She seemed slightly saddened by something but Sasuke decided to just let it be. If she wanted to say something she would, if not…well, they were definitely in the same boat about being inarticulate. He took another bite as the two sat in comfortable silence, Hinata staring out of the kitchen window wistfully while Sasuke at the soup she had kindly made for him.

"Hinata," Sasuke said, pulling the Hyuuga heiress out of her thoughts. She turned her lavender eyes to the Uchiha's pale face. His mask was still in place but something seemed to be bothering him. Hinata frowned slightly at the look although Sasuke didn't notice.

"What is it, Sasuke-san?" she asked softly. He frowned slightly as she waited for him to answer. Hinata's smile crept back onto her face as she thought of how similar he was to her cousin in not saying more than a monosyllable at a time.

"Do you believe in…spirits?" Sasuke asked after what seemed like an eternity of silence. Hinata was taken aback. She hadn't thought that was what was going to come out of his mouth. Her brow furrowed as she thought about the question.

"I guess I do," she replied after a few minutes. "To be honest, I've never really thought about it before. Why do you ask?" He looked at her in silence for a moment, not blinking. Instead of answering he took another bite.

"No reason, just curious," Sasuke lied. Hinata saw right through and frowned. He was hiding something from her and that bothered her slightly. Sasuke wasn't much of a person to talk but to a person with the Byakugan it was easy to tell when he lied. To others, it would have seemed as though he was telling the truth.

"You're lying," Hinata replied shortly. He looked up at her, an expression of slight surprise etching his features. She had caught him and he knew it. "Tell me the truth, Sasuke-san."

He sighed and put down his chopsticks staring listlessly at the bowl in front him. Hinata felt immediate concern for the Uchiha and she stood and walked to his side putting a gentle hand on his arm. His hand was covering his eyes and he didn't respond to her touch. "I feel as though someone's watching me," Sasuke replied quietly, "but…no one's ever there."

"Sasuke-san, what do you mean?" Hinata asked deeply confused and worried. It was possible that his the spirits of his dead clan were still restless after so many years. He heaved a heavy sigh and looked at her. His face was blank and tired. She stared at him realizing he wasn't just ill because of the weather but from exhaustion.

"A few days ago…I saw my mother standing at the top of the stairs," he whispered silently, strain in his tired voice. Hinata's eyes widened realizing what he was saying. She doubted the Uchiha was going mad but it was possible that he was hallucinating from exhaustion. "After that…I don't remember much besides Naruto hitting me in the face and then being in his apartment for the night."

Hinata knew he was telling the truth but she was worried for him. As a child she had felt many eyes on her and when she told her mother the woman had told her they were the ghosts of the Uchiha clan protecting Sasuke. Maybe they were angry for some reason. The Hyuuga heiress wrapped her arms gently around Sasuke's neck into an embrace. She could see him suffering and she didn't like it. Sasuke's raven hair tickled her neck gently as he laid his head gently on her shoulder. They stayed that way for a few minutes until Sasuke raised his head and Hinata gently let him go. "Finish your food," she ordered in her soft gentle voice.

Sasuke complied and he ate the rest of the delicious meal set in front of him. Once he was finished Hinata stood to leave. "Sasuke-san, I've left you the rest of the soup," she told him as they walked to the kitchen door. "I'll come by tomorrow to check on you too, but please, Sasuke-san, get some rest. You look awful."

Hinata waved at him as she left the Uchiha compound and Sasuke gently closed the door after him. The Hyuuga heiress decided to go talk to Ino for a few minutes before she went home and headed to the flower shop. Without a doubt, the mind transfer specialist was going to want to know what she had done upon hearing the news her friend had fallen ill.

She walked into the flower shop and saw Naruto talking to Ino exuberantly. Hinata flushed a brilliant shade of pink upon seeing her crush. Ino was talking animatedly with Naruto about something and as she moved slowly nearer Naruto turned around to greet her. "Hey, Hinata-chan!" Naruto greeted happily.

"H-hello, Naruto-kun," Hinata replied regaining her former stutter. Ino's face had taken on an unfathomable expression. Obviously whatever they were talking about was going to accept her. "W-why are y-you so happy, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto's grin grew and Ino looked a little uncertain about something. "Sakura-chan finally said yes!" he announced, eyes sparkling. Hinata understood immediately why Ino had looked so uncertain. Her face fell and grew pale but she immediately turned it into a happy mask while her lavender eyes lied about her feelings. Ino looked sadly at Hinata as she hid behind her mask desperately trying not to cry.

"R-really? T-that's great, Naruto-kun," Hinata congratulated all the while trying to not cry. Hinata numbly turned around to walk out of the shop. Ino called after her, empathy in her tone.

"Hinata-chan, wait! You came in here to tell me something didn't you?" Ino asked. Naruto looked between the two women as Ino spoke to Hinata.

"I was, Ino-san, but it just slipped my mind I guess," Hinata replied as she walked out of the shop, Ino still calling after her. **_'Liar…'_ **She walked numbly through the village streets and completely passed her own home by instead heading to the woods and her favorite spot. _'Liar…'_

As she walked into the shelter of the trees Hinata began to cry. She had just lost the one boy she loved with all her heart to a girl who would always be smarter, prettier, and stronger than she would ever be. Hinata sat in the snow wrapping her arms around herself sobbing under a tree.

* * *

A few hours after Hinata had left Sasuke alone the phone rang. Sasuke picked up the phone giving a tired 'Hello'. The person he least expected to ever call him, Neji, answered back. 

"Alright Uchiha, where is my cousin?" asked Neji. Sasuke blinked in surprise. She had gone home a few hours ago and hadn't come back.

"What are you talking about Hyuuga?" Sasuke asked genuinely confused. He could practically see Neji fuming on the other side of the phone, Byakugan ready and the Hyuuga genius seriously ready to kick some serious ass.

"You know exactly what I mean," Neji replied. "She hasn't come home after going to see _you."_

_"What?"_ Sasuke hissed, genuinely surprised. It didn't sound like Hinata to not go home for hours on end especially since it would be frowned down upon by her tight-ass father. He became instantly worried that something had happened to the Hyuuga heiress.

"You mean you don't know where she is?" asked Neji sounding just as surprised as Sasuke was. There was a long period of silence as Sasuke stared dumbfounded at the wall.

"No…I don't," Sasuke replied as he moved quickly up the stairs grabbing two jackets. "She left a few hours ago, but I'm going to look for her right now, Hyuuga." Sasuke hung up the phone before Neji could respond, dropped it on the floor, and pulled on the heavy jacket with his clan's symbol on the back. At full speed Sasuke rushed down the steps and pulled on a pair of boots. He slammed the door shut and ran out of the Uchiha compound carrying the other jacket if something happened to her. Hopefully nothing had.

The Uchiha tore through the streets of Konoha looking desperately for Hinata even though he shouldn't even be outside in this type of weather. He was already wheezing with his arms and legs feeling like lead. Sasuke turned his head and saw the Yamanaka's flower shop. He walked into it and Ino looked deeply surprised to see him outside. "Sasuke-kun, you shouldn't be outside when you're sick!" Ino yelled rushing out from behind the counter to put her hand on his forehead where his hitai-ate was missing. His temperature had risen.

"Never mind that Ino, where's Hinata?" asked Sasuke with irritation. Ino looked surprised and removed her hand from his forehead realizing why he had an extra jacket with him.

"What?" she asked confused. Hinata had walked out of her shop and Ino had tried to call her back. "She was here a few hours ago but she walked out without saying anything." Sasuke looked about ready to murder somebody where he stood. Ino knew something was wrong if Sasuke was pulled into the mess.

"She didn't go home Ino," Sasuke said darkly. Ino's face turned from one of shock to one of concern. "Was anyone else in here?"

"Naruto was, the tactless idiot," Ino said. "He told her that he and Sakura were going to start dating." Sasuke's face darkened even more. Ino felt the temperature go down a few notches as his aura turned even darker than it usually was.

"I'm going to kill him," Sasuke grumbled as he walked out of the shop. Ino watched him go and then smiled knowingly.

"He's so obvious," Ino said as she went back to the counter. Sasuke wasn't the only one who was going to kill Naruto.

The Uchiha continued running through the village looking for Hinata. Villagers were looking at him in confusion as he went past them several shooting him dirty looks. He headed towards the woods knowing that Hinata was probably going to be there. Sasuke slowed and walked through the woods scanning the surroundings for the girl. Hopefully she was still there. The wind bit Sasuke's face cruelly and he felt his head spinning from having run so much with a fever.

The Uchiha had no idea why he was so worried over a girl. Usually he cared less about what happened to people to be honest. His onyx orbs scanned the wilderness and stopped as they alighted on a snow covered figure huddled at the base of the tree. There were indigo locks of hair on the figure's arm and the person was shivering.

Snow crunching under his feet Sasuke approached the shivering Hinata and knelt down in front of her wrapping the jacket around her trembling shoulders. She raised her head snow falling off of her head and onto her arms. Hinata's eyes were puffy and red from crying and her teeth were chattering. "Found you," Sasuke whispered his face even redder from the cold wind rushing in his face.

Hinata hiccupped and then let out another sob. Sasuke pulled Hinata to her feet and led her out of the forest. She followed him numbly as he led her back to the Hyuuga compound. "No…" Hinata whispered tugging on Sasuke's cold hand.

He looked at her and merely turned back towards the Uchiha compound a shocked Hinata in tow. Sasuke opened the door and she walked torpidly over the threshold. The Uchiha followed her and pulled off his boots. Hinata was sitting on the raised floor her arms wrapped around herself, hot angry tears falling into her lap. Sasuke sat next to her and gently rested her head on his shoulder as she cried harder.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: WAHOO!! I hath updated thanks to the snow!!! We are having some freaky weather where I live. It's actually kind of cool. First it rains a hell of a lot and now it's snowing when we rarely ever get snow!! The weather fits perfectly with this story which is really awesome. So since I have no school, I have been sitting in front of the computer all day long and should probably get off but I can probably update some more...hmmm...

Well, anyways my little random rant is done. Wow are the roads bad... People are running faster than they are driving down the freeways. Okay, I really need to stop talking about the weather!!

I'm done now, seriously. So, enjoy the overload of fluff in this chapter. You'll read what I'm talking about. Happy reading!!

Chapter 7:

"_A sorrow shared is a sorrow halved."_

_-Anonymous_

Hinata sat besides Sasuke crying into his shoulder. She felt so useless and weak for crying into the avenger's shoulder. He had never cried, never complained and here she was sobbing over lost love. The Hyuuga heiress felt pathetic and weak. She was crying over the village idiot. The poor girl felt stupid for troubling her ill friend.

She felt Sasuke's strong arm gently pull her to her feet and lead her further into the main house of the Uchiha compound. Sasuke led her into the living room. Hinata sank to her knees in front of the kotatsu, tears falling down her cheeks. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying. The muted footsteps of the Uchiha turned away and began to walk out of the room. It was then that Hinata realized that she didn't want him to leave her alone. "No…Sasuke-san…"

Sasuke turned and looked at the back of Hinata's head, an unfathomable expression on his face. "I'll be right back, Hinata." The Uchiha turned and walked out of the room. A few minutes later, he returned with two blankets. One was wrapped around himself. Silently he pulled the jacket off of Hinata dropped the blanket gently around her shoulders.

Hinata's crying had stopped and her face was turned towards the wooden top of the table. Her hair was wet and the poor girl was shivering. "I'm pathetic," whispered Hinata to no one in particular.

"You're not pathetic," replied Sasuke as he walked out of the room again to put away the other jacket. Hinata's pale fingers reached over her shoulder and felt the edge of the blanket. Silently she pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. She sniffled.

Sasuke reentered the room with two steaming cups of herbal. He placed one of the cups in front of her, then sat at the other side of the table, taking a sip. The Hyuuga heiress didn't touch the tea opting to sit and stare at the table instead. The Uchiha looked at her through tired eyes. The snow had started to fall heavier than before again as if it was crying with Hinata. "Drink it," ordered Sasuke from his spot.

Hinata wrapped her hands around the ceramic cup feeling the warmth from the hot water through the ceramic walls. She lifted the cup and took a sip. The tea tasted bitter as it slid down her throat beginning to warm cold body. "I'm sorry," apologized Hinata to the Uchiha sitting across her.

Sasuke looked up at her. A faint red tint was on his cheeks giving the impression he was blushing but Hinata knew better. Because he had looked for her in the freezing cold, Sasuke was probably sicker than he was previously and it showed. His skin was paler than usual and he still looked exhausted. Hinata felt terrible for causing such a mess but she hadn't been thinking.

"For what?" asked Sasuke. Hinata looked up at him in shock. Had she just imagined what she thought he had said? She didn't think she had just imagined that.

"W-what?" stuttered Hinata. Sasuke gave her a tired glare and was silent for a moment as he took a small sip of tea.

"What are you apologizing for?" asked Sasuke after what seemed like an eternity. Hinata stared at him incredulously. She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again. The Hyuuga heiress was rendered speechless. He was actually asking her why she was apologizing. "Well?"

Sasuke's impatient voice pulled her out of her thoughts again. "I'm sorry for inconveniencing you," Hinata replied in a murmur. The Uchiha stared at her, one elegant eyebrow raised in incredulity. She imagined that maybe he just might start laughing at her, but this was Sasuke. Sasuke never laughed.

"Hinata, if you were an inconvenience, I wouldn't have looked for you," he stated bluntly. Hinata looked away, eyes downcast in shame. Sasuke's facial expression softened slightly. He understood that she didn't want to trouble anyone with her problems. Hinata was too kind to other people. It was hard to believe that she was ANBU, like most of the Rookie Nine.

There was an awkward silence as Hinata avoided eye contact and uttered not a sound. She was silent as she took another sip of tea. "How did you find out I didn't go home, Sasuke-san?" asked Hinata out of the blue. The Uchiha rested his head on the top of the wooden table, eyes closed as he answered her question.

"That cousin of yours called me," Sasuke replied, voice quiet. His onyx eyes snapped open as he looked at her from the table top. "Allow me to apologize on behalf of the village idiot, Uzumaki Naruto." Sasuke closed his eyes again with Hinata looking at him with a surprised expression.

"I should have known he never would have noticed me," Hinata whispered. Sasuke raised his head, eyes wide open when she said that. He stared at her silently as Hinata continued smiling ruefully. "Besides, how can I ever compare to Haruno-san?"

Sasuke's brow furrowed in confusion as Hinata stared at a point at the wall, a sorrowful expression gracing her features. "Hn, the dobe has always been oblivious," muttered Sasuke. "Sakura may be the favorite of the Hokage and Naruto, but you are in a league of your own, Hinata."

Hinata looked at him with a strange expression. Sasuke gave her a tired smirk, the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "What do you mean?"

"Sakura can't compare to you," replied Sasuke bluntly. Hinata looked at him in surprise. One of the few compliments she had ever received was from the village recluse and the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan who never showed interest in any girl _ever. _Hinata gave him a meek smile.

"Arigatou, Sasuke-san," replied Hinata gratefully. Sasuke took a long draught from the tea he had in front of him. Hinata looked at the table, pearl white eyes troubled. "I'll try to forget him…It's the least I can do. After all, Naruto-kun would die a thousand deaths for Haruno-san, wouldn't he?"

Sasuke snorted. After knowing Naruto for only a few moments, he was able to read his best friend like a book. The fact that Naruto wore his heart on his sleeve just made it easier, but there were still times in which Naruto never ceased to surprise him. Like when he had fought the two of them after two years of being under the tutelage of Orochimaru. "He would," agreed Sasuke quietly. "Sakura just didn't realize it until later."

The Uchiha admired Naruto a great deal. The number one knuckle head ninja who was full of surprises was able to do all of the things that Sasuke could not. That was why he hated him so much sometimes, but something had told him that he and his blond cohort were not all that different. And he had been right. They both were alone, but for different reasons as was Hinata. Sasuke's head returned to the table, his eyes closed. He gave a small cough. "Sasuke-san, you should go to sleep."

"Can't," muttered Sasuke as his onyx eyes opened half way. Hinata looked at him quizzically. _"They_ come back if I do." The Hyuuga heiress smiled sadly at him.

"It's not good for you, Sasuke-san," whispered Hinata. Sasuke looked at her and frowned slightly. She was right. It wasn't good for him, but Sasuke had done it ever since that day eleven years ago. Not that he had tried sleeping the whole night through, he just woke up screaming every time he did. "I'll be right here, Sasuke-san. So please, just go to sleep. You're driving yourself into the ground."

Something about the fact that Hinata would stay right beside him was comforting to Sasuke as he closed his eyes again feeling exhaustion shutting them so he couldn't open them. "Fine," he muttered in resignation. "Just don't try to wake me up, I nearly decapitated Naruto when he tried that."

"Alright, I'll just have to pour water on you if I need too," giggled Hinata as he fell asleep. Sasuke's hair was a mess, the raven locks of hair splayed across the table. Hinata gently moved some of his bangs out of his face as he slept.

She was not all that surprised that someone like Sasuke looked so peaceful when they slept. After all, Neji was her cousin, of course she had seen him sleeping before even though it was rare. Speaking of Neji, he was probably furious and if she told him what happened then he would probably kick Naruto's ass. Even if her crush had broken her heart, she didn't wish it on the tactless idiot. He hadn't even notice, so what was the point.

Hinata heard a faint ringing from somewhere in the house. She looked at the sleeping Uchiha debating on leaving him. It couldn't hurt to find his phone for him, and she could always use the Byakugan. Forming the handseals, veins pulsated around her eyes as she looked for the phone.

The phone had been dropped unceremoniously on the second floor. Looking back at Sasuke, Hinata tiptoed quickly up the stairs and grabbed the phone. "Moshi moshi."

"Hinata-sama, what are you doing over there?" asked an obviously seething Neji. The Hyuuga heiress should have known.

"I didn't want to go home," Hinata replied. "Father would be ashamed to see me like this anyway." Something in Hinata's tone seemed to have registered something in Neji. She walked down the stairs and stood outside of the room that Sasuke was currently sleeping in, watching him.

"Hinata-sama, what happened?" asked Neji, concern evident. Hinata smiled faintly as she watched Sasuke sleep.

"Nothing happened, Neji-niisan," replied Hinata. "I'm fine, you have nothing to worry about." Neji muttered something inaudibly under his breath. Hanabi was probably in the same room as Neji was listening in and hoping for news. It was just like her sister to try and get a rise out of Neji.

"Where is Uchiha? I'd like to talk to him," said Neji. Hinata frowned. Sasuke had told her not to wake him up under any circumstance unless she had too. That was for her own safety and Hinata did _not_ want to have an experience like Naruto's. Sakura had come in laughing at the hospital one day telling the tale in great detail. Hinata had been shocked but the other medics had found it absolutely hilarious.

"He's sleeping, Neji-niisan," said Hinata. She could hear Hanabi begging to be told what was going on and why Neji looked so furious.

"Fine," Neji muttered, but Hinata was no longer paying attention to her cousin. Sasuke's face had changed from peaceful to troubled. His eyes were flickering behind his eyelids, back and forth.

It had only been ten minutes and the nightmares had already begun. "I'm sorry, Neji-niisan, but I have to go," said Hinata hurriedly as she hung up the phone, a protesting Neji on the other end. She dropped the phone and ran back into the room returning to the exact same spot she had been. A pained moan escaped from Sasuke's lips. Hinata reached out to touch him, but her hand drew back hesitantly.

His hand clenched into a fist, his knuckles turning paler than normal. A pained cry erupted from the back of Sasuke's throat. Hinata reached for one of the cups in front of her and put her finger in the water. It was lukewarm, but it would have to do. Looking between the cup and Sasuke, she debated on whether to wake him up or not. As a choked sob came from Sasuke, she closed her eyes and splashed the water in his face.

The Uchiha jumped and fell back onto the floor with a thud. His face was pale and drawn, his eyes wide though he looked close to tears. Hinata put down the glass and went over to her prostrate friend. "Are you alright, Sasuke-san?" she asked.

He looked her, words escaping him. Sasuke was shaking uncontrollably. Hinata pulled him into a sitting position and wrapped him into an embrace. She heard him gasp. "You're alright, Sasuke-san," whispered Hinata, stroking his wet hair soothingly. Another choked sob escaped from Sasuke. "You're alright now."

"Why did he do it?" murmured Sasuke hoarsely. Hinata continued stroking his hair as Sasuke began to cry. The Hyuuga heiress pitied him. Never had she seen Sasuke cry.

"Shhh…it's alright now," Hinata whispered as he cried himself back to sleep. Hoping to keep him from waking up from another nightmare Hinata didn't move when the phone rang a second time. She was already well aware as to who it was: Neji, her overprotective cousin. Hinata gently scooted back towards the wall, keeping Sasuke in her embrace.

Leaning back, she wrapped the blankets tighter around the two of them, stroking his hair as he slept. Hinata felt a tear fall down her cheek as she thought of Naruto and Sakura happy together. More tears began to fall down Hinata's cheeks as she thought of Sasuke all alone, living in solitude with no one there for him. She rested her head on top of his as she cried herself to sleep as well.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I'm sorry that I have not updated in _forever._ I placed all stories on an uncertain hiatus. Unfortunately, they may be placed on that hiatus again. However, as of now I shall post all status of my stories on my bio page. So, look there for news if I have not updated in awhile. Sorry again and thanks for putting up with me!

Chapter 8:

"_Do you know what friendship is…it is to be_

_brother and sister; two souls which touch_

_without mingling, two fingers on one hand."_

_-Victor Hugo (1802 – 1885), The Hunchback of Notre-Dame_

Hinata could feel herself being pulled out of a deep slumber. It felt as though she was coming up from underwater; sound was constricted and muffled. She could feel a warmth in front of her and all around her that she could not explain. Something was tickling her cheek gently. It was cold but dry, smelling of soft, crushed pine needles.

Her pearl-white eyes flickered open and she slowly raised her hand, looking around. Glancing down she saw Sasuke fast asleep, encircled in her arms. His head was resting gently against her and his face was calm and tranquil. Hinata was not surprised. Neji also looked that way while he slept, but what she had not expected was for the eighteen-year-old Uchiha to look so much like a child as he slept. She smiled as she looked at him sleeping that way.

The Hyuuga heiress was pulled out of her reverie by a rather loud knocking at the Uchiha's door. She looked at Sasuke for a moment and then decided that she should at least answer the door for him. Gently laying him down, she covered him with the two blankets and exited the room heading for the door. Silently, Hyuuga Hinata unlocked the door to the Uchiha compound and opened the door gently. Standing on the threshold was none other than her cousin, Hyuuga Neji, and her sister, Hyuuga Hanabi. Hinata opened her mouth and then closed it again, too stunned to speak. She stared at them flabbergasted.

"Alright, where is he?" Neji asked through gritted teeth. Hinata knew that she better start trying to placate her cousin before he tried to kill Sasuke in his sleep, not that he would be able to. Hanabi stood behind Neji and gave a small smile to her sister. At least she might help her.

"Neji-niisan, he's still sleeping and you shouldn't disturb him," Hinata reprimanded in her soft manner. "Besides, do you not recall what happened to Naruto-kun?" Neji stared at her blankly even though it was evident he was still furious. Hinata knew that subsiding his fury was possible, but not completely calming that raging tornado. Hanabi gave Hinata a very pointed look which she ignored.

"I still want to talk to him," replied Neji, somewhat distracted by the rather amusing memory of Naruto recalling the events which had led up to his near decapitation at the hand's of one half-awake, half-delirious with sleep Uchiha Sasuke who was furious at the blonde for walking into his home at midnight while he was sleeping, nearly being turned into a human pincushion, and then nearly decapitated with a single blow to the face. Of course, this was Naruto. Naruto did not die, or give up for that matter, very easily; Neji knew that from experience.

Hinata sighed. She did not know how she was going to convince Neji to leave since he was obviously determined not to. Hanabi was not going to help her in this matter either. "Aneki, father wanted us to talk to Uchiha-san that is why he sent me here along with Neji-niisan," announced Hanabi with an impartial tone betraying her rather bemused expression. The Hyuuga heiress frowned at her family members and stepped aside admitting them into the silent Uchiha manor.

"Sasuke-san will _not_ be happy with this," murmured Hinata knowing full well about Sasuke's volatile temper. She had been a witness once when he and Naruto had nearly killed each other over a few insults. They may be best friends, but Naruto was not placed under exception when the Uchiha was blinded by rage. It had taken Sakura, the Godaime, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and the Sand siblings to get them to stop. To say the least, they both escaped punishment but surveillance was heightened on Sasuke for two months following the incident. Extensive repair work was done to the training grounds which had been practically leveled during their fight. It was after that that Tsunade had ordered them to no longer proceed on landscaping expeditions during their training sessions and forbade them to use Rasengan and Chidori on one another. Their faces had been almost comical.

Hinata closed the door so that the already freezing house would not lose anymore of the rather, nonexistent heat. She followed her family members silently into the living room where Sasuke was fast asleep on the floor. Hanabi stared at him silently. "He's still asleep?" she whispered to Hinata.

"He's very ill," replied Hinata sitting down next to the slumbering Uchiha and pushing aside bangs feeling his forehead. His forehead was on fire. Her brow furrowed. "Sasuke-san should not have gone outside last night."

"That doesn't matter, Hinata-sama," murmured Neji who was sitting at the other end of the table. Hinata turned and looked at him blankly. She could feel anger at Neji's impartiality boiling her blood. Neji was like a fire that was warming an iron kettle filled with water threatening to scald the unlucky person who happened to remove it from the heat. Rather than lashing out at Neji for his indifferent demeanor, Hinata opted to silently tuck the blankets tighter over Sasuke's burning body. She wished that she knew where to find more blankets, he certainly would need them later.

"Aneki, is something wrong?" asked her younger sister gazing at her with her piercing pearl-white eyes. Hinata didn't look up. Her eyes remained lowered, boring a hole into the tatami floor.

"No…there's nothing wrong," Hinata whispered looking at them with a small smile. Her family members said not a word. Silence followed Hinata's quiet words.

The silence was oppressive as they sat in the Uchiha manor. A strange feeling passed over the three Hyuuga as they sat around the low table in silence. There seemed to be hundreds of eyes looking down on them silently and the heaviest concentration was around the sleeping Uchiha. Neji could picture Fugaku and his wife, whom Neji had seen only once before they were killed, sitting behind their youngest son protectively. It had been well known that the Uchiha clan had not been on the best of terms with the Hyuuga.

Sasuke moaned in his sleep, his head turning to the side. Hanabi squirmed in discomfort. "I don't like it here," she whispered. "It's kind of creepy." Neji said not a word. Hinata smiled encouragingly at her younger sister. She knew not what Hanabi felt or thought as they sat in that room, but she knew that it was very different than her own thoughts.

Hinata turned her gaze back to Sasuke and found his eyes slowly opening. She gave him a tiny smile as his head turned towards her, onyx eyes slightly glazed over. The Uchiha groaned as he sat up, eyes closed as he held his head in his hands trying to clear the haze surrounding the correct processes of thought and consciousness. After a few moments, his obsidian eyes reopened and he found himself looking, quite unexpectedly, into the faces of Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Hanabi. Two people he had not expected to enter his home. Sasuke blinked owlishly. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?" asked Sasuke rather abruptly, his face betraying the cold bite in his voice.

Neji looked blankly at him as Hanabi began to speak. "We've come on behalf of my father to thank you for looking after Hinata," she said, giving him a small bow. Sasuke said not a word. Knowing the Hyuuga clan, Hiashi had sent his nephew for more than one reason. "Let's go now, Aneki. Father wishes to see you."

Hinata opened her mouth to say something, but Neji gave her a pointed look. She closed her mouth again with a sigh, and turned to the Uchiha sitting behind her. "Please get some rest, Sasuke-san," she whispered. Hanabi and Hinata left the Uchiha manor, leaving Sasuke and Neji sitting in the silent room glaring at each other.

"Hiashi-sama requested me to tell you that you and Hinata are no longer permitted to see each other," Neji said as soon as Hinata and Hanabi were a good distance from the main house of the Uchiha clan.

"Under what pretext?" asked Sasuke with a raised eyebrow. He had an idea and usually his ideas were right in the end.

"I think you know very well what Hiashi-sama means, Uchiha," replied Neji in a hiss. The Hyuuga prodigy stood and left without another word. Sasuke glared at nothing in particular.

He had never really liked Neji and the strong feeling of aversion was mutual among the two. Most of the Rookie Nine, Sasuke got along with quite amiably unless he was miffed about something. They knew when to back off, but Hyuuga Neji never did. It possibly could have had something to do with the fact that Sasuke had nearly gotten them all killed when he had left for Otogakure, but the Uchiha didn't think so. No, Sasuke was sure that the reason Hyuuga Neji detested him so much was because he was a former nuke nin being redeemed. Sasuke knew that to Neji, he did not deserve Sakura and Naruto's friendship nor Kakashi's tutelage. Unfortunately, he had to agree with the caged bird.

--

Hinata entered her father's office feeling anxiety washing over her. She had always been terrified of Hyuuga Hiashi, the clan head and her over-bearing father. Truthfully, Hiashi was an imposing figure. He had an air of command and power that few possessed. In fact, her father had probably held his own against Uchiha Fugaku while he was still among the living. Like Neji, she had seen Sasuke's parents only once. Uchiha Mikito was a kind woman whom Hinata had liked a great deal. Fugaku held the same power over the meek girl as did her own father and she had not enjoyed seeing him one bit.

She bowed respectfully to her father, eyes trained on the floor. "H-hello, father," said Hinata, trying to sound strong but feeling as if she was being burned by Hiashi's piercing gaze. "I understand you wished to see me."

Hinata stayed standing in the middle of the room, not daring to look her father full in the face. She could feel his eyes on her, boring a hole through her frail frame. "I understand that you stayed in the Uchiha compound last night with Sasuke-san," announced Hiashi in a cold tone of voice. Hinata restrained herself from squirming, the still small voice in the back of her mind telling her that it was not a wise decision to show signs of discomfort in the presence of her father. She was silent knowing that if she spoke her father would coldly reprimand her to remain silent while he was speaking. "You are _not_ to associate yourself with him any longer. He is dangerous to your safety. Uchiha Sasuke is still on probation _and_ his loyalty is still questionable."

The eighteen-year-old heiress could feel her blood boiling at the assumptions being made by her father. His voice became distant and small as all she could hear was the bounding of her heart reverberating in her temples. _'That isn't true…he's not like that at all,'_ thought Hinata as more furious ideas raged through her mind. She would have liked nothing better than to express her rage over her father's orders, but Hiashi's eldest daughter was powerless against his verdicts as were all members of the Hyuuga clan.

Hinata was brought crashing back to earth from her place high in the sky by her father's curt question of he understanding.

"Yes, father," she replied in a small voice trying to control the unwanted feeling of needing to shout, scream, argue with her father over what he was asking of her. Her voice had retained it's passivity, but if Hiashi had seen her eyes he would have known that underneath that passive demeanor and manner, there was a raging tempest about to break free.

"You may go," her father dismissed her with an air of nonchalance. Hinata bowed and walked out of her father's office stiffly. She opened the paper screened door and exited, sliding it shut behind her.

She walked down the tatami covered floor in silence, not really seeing what was around her. Hinata was too irate for simple observations. The heiress paid no attention to Hanabi or Neji as she passed them, her mouth set in a grim line the was so unsuited for her features. Perhaps Neji had said something to her, but Hinata did not reply. She had not heard the words that he had just spoken.

Wordlessly, she slid open the door to her own room and entered it without a sound. Hanabi and Neji were left standing there, dumbstruck. Not once had they seen Hinata so livid as to not say a word to anyone. Only one question, one thought held predominance over all others: Did the Uchiha really mean that much to her?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

"_When griping grief the heart doth wound,_

_and doleful dumps the mind oppresses,_

_then music, with her silver sound,_

_with speedy help doth lend redress."_

_-William Shakespeare_

Hanabi was up slightly late two days after Hinata had been forbidden to speak with Uchiha Sasuke. She wanted to know what Sasuke was actually like, not what people said about him. Then, her sister could be happy. Hopefully, neither Neji nor Hiashi suspected her designs. That was unlikely; those two were awfully perceptive. Hizashi, her deceased uncle, had been just as perceptive as his son. Naturally, it was an inherited trait among the Hyuuga.

She looked around her room. It was quiet, peaceful with the soft, silver light of the winter dawn sending streams of filtered light through her shaded window. Hanabi glanced at her clock. It was close to 7:00 a.m. Well, who to start interrogating first. Perhaps Hatake Kakashi or Yamanaka Ino.

The young Hyuuga thought it better to ask Kakashi. He knew more regarding the Uchiha's childhood and past which would lead to understanding his present character a little better no doubt. Ino could help her understand Sasuke's inner workings a little better, but the one person she could learn the most was from the Uchiha himself.

An hour later Hanabi was dressed and heading out to the memorial stone. Kakashi was usually there for long periods of time which was the primary cause of his less than stellar record of punctuality. Funny, really.

Hanabi trudged through the snow towards the training grounds where multiple genin teams had awaited judgment to be passed on them by the infamous jounin. Only one, Team Seven, having been passed by the Copy-Nin. She reached the grounds after fifteen minutes of trudging through the slightly full streets of Konoha, fingers frozen stiff event though her hands were stuffed into the pockets of her jacket. Steam was rising in smoky tendrils from her nostrils, nose feeling as though it was nipped with ice.

Rising out of the snow dressed in black, a green vest over his clothes, and a shock of gravity-defying silver hair was none other than Hatake Kakashi. No doubt he knew that she was there. Hanabi hadn't even made an attempt to mask her presence; there was no use in making Kakashi dislike her in an attempt to sneak up on him and then proceed to scare him half out of his wits, even if it wasn't feasible.

"Hello, Hanabi-san," greeted Kakashi, not even turning from the stone. "Do you want to talk to me about something?" Even the jounin was perceptible towards a person's intent.

"You know about your pupil and my sister's friendship, don't you?" asked Hanabi. Kakashi turned and looked at her from his visible eye. He must be becoming aware of what Hanabi was about to ask. "My father has expressly forbidden Hinata-neechan to see him again because he is afraid of what Uchiha Sasuke may do. I want to know more about him because Hinata is capable of seeing things other people cannot. Obviously, she saw through your pupil."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Hanabi, but said nothing. "Ah. So you want to know about _that,_ do you?" he asked. Only Kakashi could know what someone wanted without them having to say anything. Sometimes Hanabi thought he could almost be a Hyuuga with how perceptive he was. However, that was never to be. "Well, it's a relatively complicated story."

"I have the entire day, Hatake-san," Hanabi replied quietly. Kakashi sighed audibly. His shoulders seemed to sag and for a moment he appeared older than he really was. Hanabi kept her mask firmly in place. She knew there had been an Uchiha on his team and he had died saving both Kakashi and his other teammate. She wanted the truth, and she would not stop until she got it either.

"Do you remember your father ever telling you about Sasuke's parents?" asked Kakashi. Hanabi looked genuinely surprised but Kakashi didn't see it, he still was not looking at her. "I don't suppose he would have though. The topic became taboo after the massacre through a silent agreement…"

There was a moment of silence as Kakashi was swept away in past memories. Hanabi allowed him to reminisce. There was a slight intake of breath indicating Kakashi was going to begin the story again. "After the previous clan head of the Uchiha passed away, his eldest, strongest son took over the clan: Uchiha Fugaku along with his wife Uchiha Mikito. They had a son shortly after Fugaku took over the clan, named Itachi."

There was a short pause as Kakashi recollected some memory from his elusive past to the young genin standing as a statue behind him. Kakashi began again, "Uchiha Fugaku always had high expectations and his first son went above and beyond those expectations. Sasuke may be considered a prodigy, but I assure you, Itachi was far more of a prodigy than the surviving Uchiha. Then, Sasuke was born. Fugaku had even higher expectations of his younger son, but Sasuke failed to reach them. His mother was a kind, loving woman, but she did whatever Fugaku told her. She was a strong woman, but lacked some influence over her husband. Sasuke became a solitary, withdrawn child; he was a roving little thing. Not to mention, he was very attached to his older brother making the betrayal even more painful for him.

"He was maybe seven, eight years old when the massacre happened," whispered Kakashi. "I was on the ANBU then along with his brother. Among the ANBU that responded to the Uchiha mansion, I was one of them. Trust me, it was a horrible sight. Unfortunately I can't tell you the details of the massacre and what actually happened. It's still top secret, but Sasuke never really talked about what occurred. He became even more withdrawn than he was as a child, refusing to talk to everyone within the village. It was hard to watch." Sasuke's sensei fell silent.

Hanabi was silent. There was nothing more to tell about Sasuke's childhood; it hadn't been a happy one. The reason for so many of his behavioral "problems" could be pointed to that time period of his life. "Domo arigatou, Hatake-san," whispered Hanabi as she began to walk away.

"Hanabi-san, I hope you can change your father's opinion with what you're trying to do," called Kakashi as she walked away. Hanabi waved at him respectfully over her shoulder, even though Kakashi probably wasn't looking at her. Well, next stop: Yamanaka Ino.

* * *

A/N: Alright people, since not much is actually given by the Uchiha clan except for a few short flashback sequences in both the manga and anime, I took quite a bit of artistic license. Much of it is from my own perceptions of Sasuke's parents through those flashbacks. You never see as much of them as you do of Itachi. It is my personal belief that they played as much of a role in shaping Sasuke's character as his older brother. Your parents do have a profound impact on you, so that is I chose to make them the way they were. There's my explanation and I apologize for keeping you waiting. My other stories will also be updated as soon as I finish the next chapters. Bye for now! 


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Yes, I realize I have not update in forever. Allow me to apologize. I was thinking of what exactly to write. I did not want it sound forced. So, this is your update instead of the rather inadequate author's note explaining my lapse in updates. Again, I apologize though it is probably rather belated _again._ However, I hope you enjoy. I realize it's short but this is kind of like a long transition. Sorry if it's boring, but it'll be important. I promise! Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 10:

_"Take hold lightly; let go lightly. This is one_

_of the great secrets of felicity in love."_

_-Spanish Proverb_

Hanabi walked in silence through the streets of Konoha towards the Yamanaka flower shop. Tendrils of silvery vapor came from Hanabi's nose as she walked. The cold was still bitingly there and the gates of Konoha were still closed. It seemed they had gotten a rather nasty storm front from Yuki no Kuni. The streets were still sparsely filled with shinobi or civilians. Occasionally an academy student or genin would run past her. Sometimes, one of the younger shinobi would look at her with a sense of awe written over their face. Hanabi could not see the reasoning behind that. She was just another shinobi out of many from the Hyuuga clan.

She had graduated from the academy at the normal age but had become a chuunin at the age of thirteen. By no means was she ANBU level, but she was going to work up to that level some day. Hanabi sighed heavily as she walked into the flower shop. Ino was sitting behind the counter, frowning. Since the heavy snow had hit Ho no Kuni, all ANBU missions that were upcoming were postponed if they were assassination or higher. The Yamanaka was an interrogator and, needless to say, it was obvious to Hanabi she was bored out of her mind.

"Hello, Hanabi-san," greeted Ino, dully. Yes, she was indeed bored out of her mind. "Can I help you with something?" Hanabi gave here the barest of smiles. It was a purely Hyuuga smile.

"Yes, Yamanaka-san, you can."

Ino stood up with a grin. If Hyuuga Hanabi came into her flower shop it was definitely big. Finally, something to do. Hanabi gave her another tiny smile. She looked like Neji instead of her sister. They were alike too.

"Well, what is it?"

"Yamanaka-san, I was wondering if you could tell me about Uchiha Sasuke," replied Hanabi in a meek voice. Still, Ino had to admit, both of the Hyuuga siblings had their similarities. Ino still couldn't hold back the expression on her face after hearing what Hanabi wanted to know. She heaved a heavy sigh and moved back behind the counter before plopping down in her chair.

"Let me guess, your father said she had to stop talking to him," said Ino flatly an irritated look on her face. She snorted rather derisively. Hinata winced inwardly. She was well aware the Yamanaka clan did not particularly like her father. After all, he had acted with a very condescending manner towards them for many years. It was to be expected. Hanabi hated to admit it, but Ino was dead on.

"Well…yes."

"Ah."

Ino gave a dry laugh. She stretched like a cat in her chair before leaning onto the table, arms crossed in front of her. "Let me just say this, Sasuke-kun is a very reliable shinobi," whispered Ino in a conspiratorial voice, "and he would sooner die than go back to Orochimaru. I heard that come directly from his own mouth."

Hanabi wondered why Ino was talking in such a low whisper, but she decided to ask her later before she left the shop. She had heard of his reputation from Neji as a shinobi even if her cousin despised the Uchiha. It was a rather grudging respect for him.

"Yamanaka-san, that doesn't tell me anything about him as a friend."

She gave a little smile. "I was getting to that, Hanabi-san," she muttered. "Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan swear by him as a friend. And believe me, if those two can say that he's such a good friend, then he is. He may treat them horribly sometimes, but he easily could have killed Sakura and Naruto when he left Konoha. Remember Hanabi-san what he actually did."

Ino's answers were evasive, but they gave her a lot to think about. She thanked her and began to walk out of the shop before stopping, recalling what she had wanted to ask her before leaving. "Yamanaka-san, why did you talk in such a low voice?"

Hanabi could picture Ino shrugging her shoulders, a wry smile on her face. Ino turned around to grab something on the shelf behind her before answering. "You know how the people of Konoha are, they don't like him."

The youngest Hyuuga from the main family waved over her shoulder as she walked away from Ino. The mind specialist knew exactly where she was going, but he wouldn't be easy to find. If Sasuke did not want to see the citizens of Konoha, he was nigh impossible to find except by the most skilled ANBU trackers and his team members and Kakashi. She almost pitied Hanabi for even trying to find him. Well, if it got Hinata and Sasuke closer together, all the better. _'Good luck, Hanabi-san.'_


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Yes, I'm alive. Holy crap.

I apologize for the really slow update. I've been busy. And I've had a brief reprieve from the research I've been doing for an English paper. I haven't written it yet, of course, and it's due next Monday. So this will probably be the only update until quarter ends. Continue checking my bio page for status updates on my other stories. You will find information there and not in author's notes. That's too much of a hassle to do.

I also have three other stories currently in the works. They will not be posted until I have finished at least one of the stories that has not yet been completed. And it will only be one of the stories. So that's about all I have to say. Enjoy! (And yes, I realize this is short.)

Disclaimer (because I keep forgetting if I've done one or not...): I do not own Naruto. Obviously.

* * *

Chapter 11:

"_Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so,_

_apologize for truth."_

_-Benjamin Disraeli (1804 – 1881)_

Hinata had dressed in a winter kimono that morning. Earlier that week she had gotten into another argument with her father. He refused to let her venture out of the mansion on the grounds that she would go off and visit Sasuke. Needless to say, that was true. She would have gone, but having been prohibited from stepping one foot out of the Hyuuga compound for the duration of the blizzard unless on the Hokage's orders, Hinata was confined to the main house.

She was sitting in her room merely staring out the window listlessly. The snow was swirling past it gently. It had finally started to die down. None the less, it was still beautiful. It had only been a month, and yet it felt like years to her.

She missed Sasuke. Hinata loved to see his rare, tiny smiles. Their conversations always flowed so easily. It was as if she had none him for years. And without his presence, the simple conversations had vanished. And with it, came the loneliness. Hinata felt strangely unwanted again. As if her company was merely a burden and superfluous.

The garden below her was withered and covered in a thick blanket of snow. The koi pond was frozen, the fish flitting lethargically beneath the ice. Despite the frigid weather, the dead garden retained its beauty. Strangely, Hinata didn't mind the garden's lack of life. She knew it would be alive again by springtime.

Below her, voices were raised. She wondered what the council was arguing about this time. However, her instinct told her that it was not the council this time. Though the voices were muted by the shoji doors, Hinata knew she recognized the voices. One of them was definitely Neji's and the other sounded strangely like Sasuke.

Hinata's eyes widened. Sasuke was here. She scrambled to her feet and slid open her door with a clatter. Stumbling over her own feet, Hinata rushed down the stairs nearly colliding with one of the maids in her rush. As she reached the landing, Hinata hear her cousin and Sasuke arguing heatedly. Neji sounded as if he was accusing the Uchiha of something. Hopefully, his accusations had nothing to do with Sasuke's betrayal. Hinata came around the corner and stopped in her tracks.

Neji and Sasuke were still arguing, and the fight looked ready to turn to blows. Hanabi was standing behind Sasuke, staring at her feet. An expression of shame was on her face. Her hand was on her arm, pressing a cloth over a bleeding wound. "Hanabi-chan!"

Hinata rushed forward to her younger sister, panic clutching at her stomach. What happened? Sasuke and Neji fell silent as their eyes felled on Hinata. The young medic pried away her sister's hand from the wound to examine it. It was then that she noticed Hanabi was soaked and shivering. Angrily, Hinata rounded on Neji.

"Neji-niisan she's bleeding and frozen! And you're arguing with Sasuke-san instead?!" Neji fumbled for words. He was shocked. Hinata was usually so meek. Her verbal rebuttal had left him bereft of any words.

"Hanabi-chan, what happened?"

By now, the commotion in the foyer had drawn servants to the ongoing spectacle. Sasuke was silent under the stares of shock. One of the servants slipped discreetly away to alert Hiashi to the commotion. Hanabi bit her lip. "Nothing happened, Aneki," she lied. "I was being careless while training."

Hinata stared at her sister. Her eyes narrowed, but she did not question her sister. At that moment, Hiashi came forward silencing an outburst from Neji. He surveyed Hanabi critically. No doubt he had heard her response to Hinata's question.

Hiashi's eyes fell upon Sasuke who stared back at him without flinching. "Come with me, Uchiha-san."

Sasuke bare feet padded silently after Hiashi down the wooden floorboards to his office. Hinata stared wide-eyed after her father. Sasuke had said not a word to her, and he had not negated Hanabi's obvious lie. His silence had stung. Hinata felt tears prickle in her eyes. Wordlessly, she guided Hanabi passed a stunned Neji and up the stairs.

* * *

Hiashi slid open the door and walked inside. Sasuke wordlessly closed the door behind him. The Hyuuga leader walked back to his desk, sitting down and fixing Sasuke with a blank stare. It did not faze the Uchiha in the slightest. He stared right back.

"Uchiha-san, why don't you tell me what happened?"

Sasuke raised one an eyebrow. "I believe I am correct in assuming you do not believe your youngest daughter?"

The elder man merely nodded his head in response. Honestly speaking, Sasuke was not entirely sure what happened. He had simply found Hanabi struggling to get out of the ice on the Nakano River, a kunai embedded in her arm. "I'm not sure."

There was an uncomfortable silence. The elder man's expression was unfathomable, but Sasuke had an inkling of what he was going through his mind. It was an accepted idea that Sasuke had no control over the curse seal placed on him by Orochimaru. On the contrary, Sasuke had perfect control, but the elders were only to happy to allow the masses to believe what they wanted even when there was substantial proof to negate those ideas.

"I sensed a presence on the Uchiha grounds that I did not recognize and went to investigate," explained Sasuke after a few moments silence. "When I reached the Nakano River I found your youngest daughter struggling to get out of the ice with a kunai embedded in her arm."

Sasuke fell silent. He hated talking for more than two sentences having never truly excelled at making conversation. Monosyllables and short comments were enough for him. Hiashi continued to stare at him. If the Byakugan was truly capable of seeing everything, then the clan leader would know he was telling the truth. The middle-aged man before him sighed. "Do you have any idea how that could have happened?"

"No."

"Very well."

Sasuke turned to go, not caring whether he insulted Hiashi or not. He did not want to stay in the Hyuuga compound longer than was required. However, Hiashi spoke before he could walk out of the room.

"Since you helped both of my daughters my perceptions of you have started to change," Hiashi told him quietly. Sasuke turned and stared at him with the same scowl he always wore. "Maybe its not such a bad idea to allow Hinata to visit you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "Come for tea sometime, will you? I'm sure Hinata would like that."

"I may take you up on that offer, Hyuuga-san."

As quietly as he had come in, Sasuke left. He left a pensive Hiashi in his wake. Now that he had time to reflect, the Uchiha didn't seem as terrible as the villagers – and Hiashi – had originally believed.


End file.
